PETER HOWSON DEMOKRATIA
PETER HOWSON DEMOKRATIA
17 April - 16 May 2015 82 Kingsland Road London E 2 8 DP +44 (0)20 7920 7777
Meshuggah, 2015 Oil on canvas 183.5 x 244.4 cm 72 1/4 x 96 1/4 in
My Brother's Keeper, 2014 Oil on canvas 183 x 153 cm 72 1/8 x 60 1/4 in
Haqiqah, 2015 Oil on canvas 183 x 244 cm 72 1/8 x 96 1/8 in
Pendere I, 2015 Pastel on tinted card 64.5 x 49.5 cm 25 3/8 x 19 1/2 in
Pendere II, 2015 Pastel on tinted card 64.5 x 49.5 cm 25 3/8 x 19 1/2 in
Pendere III, 2015 Pastel on tinted card 64.5 x 49.5 cm 25 3/8 x 19 1/2 in
Pendere IV, 2015 Pastel on tinted card 64.5 x 49.5 cm 25 3/8 x 19 1/2 in
Pendere V, 2015 Pastel on tinted card 64.5 x 49.5 cm 25 3/8 x 19 1/2 in
Austeros I, 2015 Oil on panel 23 x 22 cm 9 1/8 x 8 5/8 in
Austeros II, 2015 Oil on panel 23 x 22 cm 9 1/8 x 8 5/8 in
Demokratia XII, 2015 Pen on paper 19.5 x 19.5 cm 7 5/8 x 7 5/8 in
Demokratia XI, 2015 Pen on paper 19.5 x 19.5 cm 7 5/8 x 7 5/8 in
Demokratia X, 2015 Pen on paper 19.5 x 19.5 cm 7 5/8 x 7 5/8 in
Demokratia XV, 2015 Pen on paper 19.5 x 19.5 cm 7 5/8 x 7 5/8 in
Demokratia XIII, 2015 Pen on paper 19.5 x 19.5 cm 7 5/8 x 7 5/8 in
Demokratia XIV, 2015 Pen on paper 19.5 x 19.5 cm 7 5/8 x 7 5/8 in
Demokratia II, 2015 Mixed media on paper 30.5 x 22.5 cm 12 1/8 x 8 7/8 in
Demokratia III, 2015 Mixed media on paper 30.5 x 22.5 cm 12 1/8 x 8 7/8 in
Demokratia IV, 2015 Mixed media on paper 30.5 x 22.5 cm 12 1/8 x 8 7/8 in
Demokratia V, 2015 Mixed media on paper 30.5 x 22.5 cm 12 1/8 x 8 7/8 in
Demokratia VI, 2015 Pen on paper 30.5 x 22.5 cm 12 1/8 x 8 7/8 in
Demokratia VII, 2015 Mixed media on paper 30.5 x 22.5 cm 12 1/8 x 8 7/8 in
Demokratia VIII, 2015 Pen on paper 30.5 x 22.5 cm 12 1/8 x 8 7/8 in
Demokratia IX, 2015 Mixed media on paper 30.5 x 22.5 cm 12 1/8 x 8 7/8 in
Demokratia I, 2015 Mixed media on paper 30.5 x 22.5 cm 12 1/8 x 8 7/8 in
Demokratia XVI, 2015 Pen on paper 21 x 29.5 cm 8 1/4 x 11 5/8 in
Flowers Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of new paintings by the Scottish artist Peter Howson. Taking place in the lead-up to the UK General Election, the exhibition is a reflection on the political and social issues of our time. In his latest series, Howson represents a nightmarish vision of a new civilization, emerging from global crisis. As a focal figure of the New Glasgow Boys, and one of his generation’s leading figurative painters, Howson has derived inspiration from his personal experiences - from the inner-city streets of Glasgow, to time spent in combat zones as a former official British war artist (Bosnia, 1993). His paintings have tackled the horrors of modern day atrocities and the depths of the human psyche, with an unflinching gaze. The show’s title is taken from an Ancient Greek political reform system, introduced in 507 BC. Loosely translated, Demokratia means ‘rule by the people’. Epic in scale and intensity, the paintings are crowded with a large cast of barbarous characters. Portraying a breakdown of social order in which a violent underclass fights to gain control, Howson makes reference to the Morlocks of H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine, a savage post-human species, who feast upon the passive and blindly compliant Eloi people. Reacting to the rise of extreme political factions developing across the world, Howson describes his characters as being “abandoned” by society, using violence as an antidote to boredom and hardship.
www.flowersgallery.com info@flowersgallery.com 82 Kingsland Road London E2 8DP Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 6pm