Artist: George Rouy
Exhibition title: In Dirty Water
Venue: J Hammond Projects, London, UK
Date: September 21 – October 28, 2017
Photography: Tom Carter, all images copyright and courtesy of the artist and J Hammond Projects, London
With soft bodies contorted and long limbs impossibly tangled, some of the figures appear to be either embracing, dancing or wrestling. These acts are primal: a means of attracting or engaging a partner. The poses are carefully constructed to demonstrate strength while betraying a vulnerability. Like the feeling of descending very slowly, totally naked, into cold water. That’s what I wanted to capture with this body of work: a sense of something equally empowering and exposing. Facial expressions are deliberately ambiguous. They could be interpreted as gormless or submissive, but I see the figures as nihilistic. They stare out into the eyes of the viewer, their viciously twisted necks suggest something is broken outside of the image. The same is true of Bull and White Horse. These animals are typically symbolic of heroism and fertility, but their necks are flung back, subverting power. – George Rouy
George Rouy, In Dirty Water, 2017, exhibition view, J Hammond Projects, London
George Rouy, In Dirty Water, 2017, exhibition view, J Hammond Projects, London
George Rouy, In Dirty Water, 2017, exhibition view, J Hammond Projects, London
George Rouy, In Dirty Water, 2017, exhibition view, J Hammond Projects, London
George Rouy, In Dirty Water, 2017, exhibition view, J Hammond Projects, London
George Rouy, In Dirty Water, 2017, exhibition view, J Hammond Projects, London
George Rouy, Forever, 2017, Acrylic on canvas, 160 x 240 cm
George Rouy, In Dirty Water, 2017, Acrylic on canvas, 150 x 120 cm
George Rouy, Submission, 2017, Acrylic on canvas, 160 x 240 cm
George Rouy, White Horse, 2017, Acrylic on canvas, 160 x 120 cm
