01 march 2024, Flor Linckens
Nature and heavy metal in the work of James Aldridge
From 2 March, Christian Ouwens Gallery in Rotterdam will present a solo exhibition of James Aldridge. The oeuvre of the British artist is fueled by a broad range of interests: from natural history field guides and picturesque French wallpaper from the nineteenth century to Renaissance landscapes, the watercolours of John James Audubon and the energy of heavy metal music.
The collaboration between Aldridge and Christian Ouwens was born out of the gallerist's deep admiration for Aldridge's work, particularly a panoramic, ten-meter wide canvas that he saw at Tate Modern in London: "Cold Mouth Prayer". Aldridge prefers large formats for his canvases and at Christian Ouwens Gallery, the artist will also display six works that are quite large in terms of scale.
Aldridge: “My relationship with Nature has always been important to me. It’s something I can’t explain to myself. Even living here it’s something I feel slightly outside of, something that’s slightly mysterious. There’s something very melancholic about the Swedish landscape. You do get a sense of the folklore and all the associations Nature has with that kind of framework. There is a spiritual, religious belief which I don’t actually have. It’s the idea of making sense of something that is too hard to comprehend.”
