Daniel Raphael Gallery is delighted to present ‘Poems on Things’, a solo exhibition of new works by British-born poet-artist, Gommie. The show will be on view from October 14th – November 6th, 2021 with a private view on October 14th, from 6-8 pm. This body of work, including large-scale maps, also debuts a collection of twenty smaller illustrated poems that present a more complex approach to documenting politics, environmental and societal issues, public opinion, and emotion.
Underpinned by travel, the artist explores these themes by walking across vast areas of the U.K and capturing them through a range of mediums. Whether it be on the map itself or his personal Moleskine diaries, the objective is the same - to remain faithful to the essence of the landscape and the residual feelings evoked by conversing with locals.
The artist repeatedly references love within his “diary poems” that are often set in nature. This is best seen in My heart is a sweet shop, undeniably alive with all the possibilities (2021). The marriage of poetry and drawing capturing the natural world, evokes the pastoral poems of the seventeenth century (as seen in the works of John Milton) and the influence of the Impressionists through the quick pen strokes made en plein air. While traditional poetry employs grandiose language, Gommie’s unique storytelling inverts this notion. His candid and familiar manner of discussing current day topics of conversation, allows for the poems to relate to and inspire the reader. These never-before-exhibited artworks offer the viewer a unique insight into Gommie’s digestion of public opinion during a time which has affected the global population in ways that are difficult to comprehend. Whether through compassion, wit, frustration, or even sarcasm, the poems help us break down popular thought. The result is oddly warming, even when reading the ones that ironically reject positivity, such as We did it, we fucked the world (2021).
In his larger works, paintings come to the fore on top of ordnance survey maps – the maps being of areas that the artist has explored himself. These previously purely functional objects evolve by taking on the persona of artworks that include a sense of storytelling within the beautiful poetry and bright colors that burst with life and energy. His latest work, Pink Boat on the River (2021) shows Gommie’s own houseboat on a canal, surrounded by billowing leaves and trees that are laden with smaller fragments of poems and phrases that resonate with the artist. This work and others in the exhibition, offer an exciting opportunity to witness Gommie’s growth as an artist, as his works aid the viewer in processing their own surroundings as symbols of our collective consciousness.
About The Artist:
Gommie (b. 1985, UK) grew up in Oxfordshire, England. Having graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2008 with a degree in Acting, he worked as an actor until 2017 when he began to pursue a career in visual art and performance. Selected exhibitions include: Bursting Myths, What Search and Rescue Really Feels Like, Refugee Rescue (2021); Unmasked, Daniel Raphael Gallery, London (2020); Selected Works, Messums Gallery, London (2019).
All images are courtesy of Daniel Raphael Gallery and the artist.
