DEREK ROOT’S EXHIBITION CONSIS...
Derek Root’s exhibition consisted of two series of paintings, both made simultaneously during the past year and a video projection.Gallery One consisted of eight minimal paintings with encaustic monochrome surfaces, that are ethereal and evocative in mood. The seduction of these layered surfaces and the slight palette suggest a reference to modern art history and design.
Gallery Two comprised five small figurative portrait paintings, which are reminiscent of vintage illustrations often seen in early learning text-books. The softly drawn portrayal of each subject evokes an innocence of a particular era, which interpreted in modern contemporary society can be read with irony. Root has injected extra humour into some of these works by subtly distorting the proportions of the figure so as to suggest a melancholic protagonist.
Root also showed a video piece entitled ‘Heavy Winter’ which is documentation of an artificial snowstorm synchronized with an audio recording of the poem ‘Aubade’ by Phillip Larkin.
Recent exhibitions include Confidence, Linoping Contemporary Art Museum, Linoping, Sweden, Hyims, Scrims and Accompaniments, Monte Clark Gallery, Vancouver and Drawing the World: Masters to Hipsters, Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver.