Dimensions: support: 2540 x 2540 x 65 mm
Copyright: © Avis Newman | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Curator: Avis Newman’s large-scale piece, titled "Meridians VIII," presents us with a captivating field of layered textures and delicate linear elements. Editor: It has an ethereal quality, like looking at a cloud formation—almost monochromatic, built from subtle shifts in tone and the interplay of light and shadow. Curator: The title “Meridians” suggests a connection to systems of energy, or paths of travel. These lines might reference acupuncture meridians or even ley lines, drawing on ancient understandings of the body and the earth. Editor: And formally, the layering creates a sense of depth that draws the eye in, with the scattered lines creating a dynamic tension against the soft background. Curator: Newman is known for embedding symbolic meaning into her work. The repetition of these delicate lines could represent collective memory or even threads of fate, weaving together individual stories into a larger narrative. Editor: I can see how one might interpret it that way. For me, the beauty lies in the sheer materiality and atmospheric effect. It invites quiet contemplation. Curator: It does indeed. Newman offers us a space to reflect on our connections to the world and to each other.
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Meridians VIII is a large abstract acrylic painting on canvas that consists of a fuzzy, cloud-like field in tones of white and grey that is overlaid with sharper black and white lines. The work has a black and brown underlayer that is patchily covered with the soft white and grey tones, and at the edges this layer remains completely exposed, forming a thin border around all four sides of the painting. The fuzzy, pale marks are presented in multiple layers and often look smudged, so that although the hazy field seems to suggest spatial recession due to the interplay between light and dark tones on the surface, it is difficult to gauge any clear sense of pictorial depth. The sharper, spark-like lines are mostly loosely clustered in a crescent-shaped band around the middle of the work, but some are also positioned along the edges of this form. They are all oriented in different directions, producing a sense of dynamic, disordered movement, an effect that is accentuated by the coupling together of white and black lines in places.
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