Ahead of Frieze London 2024 comes the solo exhibition of the work of British expressionist artist Svante. The exhibition is located at 55 Exhibition Road a few paces from the Victoria & Albert Museum opposite Imperial College London.

Opening: 2nd & 3rd October 10am - 10pm

When we are awake our consciousness is designed specifically to best facilitate everyday survival. It does this largely by helping us to interpret the world around us as quickly and efficiently as possible. As time passes our increasingly ordered minds develop a sense of realism, foresight and careful reflection.

We do, however, pay a price for this achievement of order in the adult mind. The limbic regions of the brain involved in emotion and memory can become limited and the ever-increasing importance of the ego, or sense of self, can cause cognition to become rusted stuck potentially resulting in narrow thinking, addiction, OCD and depression.

With the trials and tribulations of the daily grind, it is rarely easy to look at the world with the eyes of a child, to let go of our preconceptions and biases and to loosen the ego’s grip on the mind. Music, poetry, dance, and art can be a conduit to allow the brain to become less specialised and more integrated and to help us regain a sense of perspective.

This series of paintings explores the dichotomy between the ordered and disordered mind in relation to Friedrich Nietzsche’s analysis of the Birth of Tragedy and in particular to his interpretation of artistic endeavour as being either Apollonian or Dionysian. From the thesis of Apollonian order to the antithesis of Dionysian decadence and decay, comes a synthesis of equilibrium and connection which poses the question could consciousness survive the disappearance of the self?

Fear of Freedom

We are born into a world of preconceived ideas. No matter how openminded or enlightened we believe ourselves to be, there is nevertheless a significant part of our consciousness and interpretation of our environment that is learned in our first formative years. Our attempts to establish an internal dialogue are compromised by endless external interference. We are pushed and pulled in every direction and distracted from what is either important to us or important to us all. Democracy, capitalism, religious consciousness, scientific dogma and moderate alcohol consumption are all examples of concepts we hold so dear to our sense of virtue as to be incontestable.

Throughout human history we have asked "what is the purpose of art?" Real art makes us question. It comes from a genuine place and is at once both thought provoking and emotionally weighty. It should grab you, move you and make you stop and think. It can cause you to hold your breath, feel a cold shiver down your spine or send the hairs on your arms vertical. It can make you widen your gaze and, most importantly, open up your mind. Artists often live at the edges of society on the border between order and chaos. Of course there is always the risk of falling into the chaos. But in the end, that is precisely where they need to be to transform perception and truly inspire progress.

This exhibition comprises a selection of oil paintings created from the synthesis of conscious and subconscious thought during the period 2020 to 2024. The works contained herein pose the question, are we becoming a new version of Erich Fromm’s automatons, willingly handing over our freedom to a generation of populist leaders, technology corporations and AI?

West Contemporary and Pavilion Club proudly present a collection of works by leading British expressionist artist, Svante.

VIP Private View - RSVP essential - Thursday 16th May 2024 6PM - 9PM

A solo exhibition of British expressionist artist SVANTE. Featuring a series of limited edition giclee prints from the collections In The Spaces Between & Hell Is Other People, the exhibition captures the essence of the artists work during the 3 years from 2020 to 2023.

Kasia Ruta presents a series of 12 oil pastels and 4 oil paintings from expressionist artist Svante.

POSK - Polish Social & Cultural Association

238-246 King Street
Hammersmith
London W6 0RF

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” 

Pablo Picasso 

An inevitable aspect of the development of intellectual realism in young children is the gradual separation of the conscious and subconscious in the creation of art. Colour and form give way to stick people and box shaped houses. Soon enough even these simple yet interesting images disappear, replaced by layers of detail and an increasingly conscious interpretation of the world around us.  

This exhibition features a series of twelve oil pastels created during the two years from 2022 to 2023. Inspired in part by the existentialist ideas of Jean Paul Sartre, each pastel captures a moment of reflection and offers the viewer an insight into the artist’s ongoing creative journey. Many of the oil pastels in this exhibition include a written streaming of subconscious on the reverse. These passages are generally completed in one sitting. Devoid of the interference of conscious thought, the sentences emerge onto the page, and the end result is a prose which ranges from the obscure to the poetic. 

Mandalas borne out from the quiet of the early morning, the pastels also represent an antithesis to the oil paintings which come into being in the afternoons over many months, full of animation and vibrancy to a backdrop of loud and powerful music. The four paintings included here, which progress from pure abstraction through to the emmergence of figurative imagery, invite the viewer to contemplate their own path in isolation, from the nothingness of the past to a future that as yet remains unrealised.  

ŁODZ 600, Group Show curated by Waldemar Plusa, Łodz, January 2024

Kasia Ruta presents a solo exhibition of the work of British expressionist artist Svante. Featuring 6 paintings from the series In The Spaces Between and 6 works from the new series Hell Is Other People. The exhibition is located at 55 Exhibition Road a few paces from the Victoria & Albert Museum opposite Imperial College London.

4th October 12pm to 4pm - Opening

4th October 6pm to 9pm - Private View (By invitation only)

5th October 12pm to 9pm - Exhibition

55 Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2PG

Life is marked by moments when we feel like shadows of our former selves. Whilst these moments can bear negative connotations, they also have enormous transformative potential. This exhibition encompasses the evolving paths we all navigate through life's myriad experiences, from the mundane to the extraordinary.

Our instinctive reactions often contrast with our reflective thoughts, and true art emerges when we relinquish control. Writing can be a conduit, offering a glimpse into an inner world. Thoughts and emotions can be unshackled and help us to break free from the cast. If writing is like turning on a tap to begin the flow, painting is akin to opening the floodgates and shattering the dam.

This exhibition spans the three years from 2020 to 2023 and features six pieces from the collection In The Spaces Between and six from a new series entitled Hell Is Other People, inspired by Jean-Paul Sartre's insights, and most notably the play No Exit.

Each artwork has a genesis, a thought, an idea, a reflection, a sentiment that demands expression. Messages are transcribed direct from the amygdala onto the canvas, igniting a dance between the conscious and unconscious self. Some of the themes explored herein are introspective, others more exuberant, but all embody the very same creative process – a process that urges you to explore the interstitial spaces where art, emotion, and self intertwine.

In the great paradox of time, everything occurs in between. The present connects a non-existent past and an unrealized future. The only question now is, where shall we go from here?

Exhibition Depliant

Looking forward to being part of the XX part 2 show at The Ivy Club London, contact @westcontempeditions to arrange an appointment/viewing at info@west-contemporary.com

West Contemporary presents British expressionist artist Svante and the works Le Silence Crie à Mes Oreilles and Toro Bravo at Kerridge’s Bar & Grill.

NO.10 Northumberland Avenue, London WC2N 5AE

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