NO END TO NEW BEGINNINGS
Irvin Pascal
February 1 - March 15, 2020
The Hope of One thousand, 2019
Oil, oil bar and amalgamated media on hessian in artists gully frame
65 1/2 x 84 in (166.4 x 213.4 cm)
COUNTY is pleased to present NO END TO NEW BEGINNINGS by Irvin Pascal.
As a new decade begins, the young, critically acclaimed British artist Irvin Pascal presents a solo exhibition at COUNTY, appropriately titled No End to New Beginnings. Taken from the lyrics of a school hymn Pascal sang as a child, the title shuttles us between the realm of autobiographical memory and more universal concerns, such as how, in the artist's words, "the foundations of one's childhood affects the trajectory of their life, and at which point does one discover new beginnings in one's life cycle."
At thirty-two, Pascal has already had "new beginnings" of his own as a budding architect and a professional boxer before ultimately emerging as an important new voice in contemporary art, and his rugged, high-contrast paintings combine the discipline and tenacity of a pugilist with the analytical rigor of an architect. Seemingly abstract, Pascal's compositions often contain figurative and narrative elements, creating a dialogue between two-dimensional and three-dimensional space. For instance, the stripes and circles of AJ versus Klitschko, as the title implies, not only constitute an aesthetically pleasing pattern but also the ropes of a boxing ring and the heads of audience members, respectively, from the historic 2017 heavyweight fight.
Pascal's mother is Nigerian, and Nigerian culture—from contemporary fashion, film, and popular dance to traditional textiles—is as much a part of his aesthetic arsenal as Cubist fragmentation, de-constructivist architecture, and other forms of European abstraction. The title of Pascal's large painting, If so doxology, comes from an idiomatic Nigerian expression of joy (similar to "Praise be!"), which he remembers his cousin using in letters to the family. While it is not necessary to recognize such references in order to appreciate his paintings, Pascal states: "Sometimes the tone of a word, whether understood or not, affects the atmosphere around a work." Pascal also encourages viewers to bring their own memories and associations to his art, noting: "I like to widen the range of interpretations."
Irvin Pascal was named one of the Bloomberg New Contemporaries for 2017 and was included in the important group exhibition Talisman in the age of difference, curated by Yinka Shonibare MBE, Stephen Friedman Gallery, London (2018). Last year, he had a major solo exhibition, The Nenaissance, at Niki Cryan in Lagos, Nigeria (2019), and in 2018 he had a solo exhibition at GNYP Gallery, Berlin. Other recent exhibitions include Bloomberg New Contemporaries, Block 336, London (2018) and BALTIC Centre For Contemporary Art, Newcastle (2017); PIAF, Copeland Gallery, London (2017); The Long Count, Von Goetz Art, London (2017); Atkinson Gallery, Somerset (2018); and BHM, Latham Watkins, London (2017). His work has been reviewed in Forbes, The Art Newspaper, and Wall Street International and is included in outstanding private collections.
Logan R. Beitmen