Federica Schiavo Gallery

OPENING THURSDAY 28 MARCH 2013, H 7.00 - 9.00

Federica Schiavo Gallery is proud to present the second solo exhibition by the British artist Rob Sherwood in Rome, titled How Much Does The Earth Weigh?. Sherwood's latest group of paintings continue his investigations into creative composition in a predefined structure, the grid.

The title of the exhibition derives from a basic search engine query "how much does…" and the first phrase which was then offered under the system's autocomplete algorithms. This, and the grid's association with digital imagery, suggest Sherwood's interest in artistic labour and its relationship with technology; particularly regarding creative choice when using structures or system's which can limit autonomy.

Whilst Sherwood describes his paintings as being in a "fixed resolution", using grids of 1.5 cm², a sense of movement or boundlessness is crucial. Across the carefully ruled grid, close inspection reveals areas painted tight or loose, glossy or matt and either flat or in relief. The overall impression is of a transitional image, dissolving or forming.

In these new paintings Sherwood varies the scale considerably, further emphasising movement: small works on wooden panels, made using oil paint, spray paint, lacquers and varnishes, appear like studies relating to his larger paintings on canvas.

These miniatures, zoomed in, pay concentrated attention to the grid in terms of light and surface texture, as inspired by the artist's fascination with the artificial light inherent in screen culture. The shimmering complexity of the colour studies, aided by glazing, lustre and patina, and the subtle intonations in the series "Her Eyes On", each backlit with gold, suggest a desire to stop and touch, make his own, that which is usually fleeting or ephemeral.

- Guy Robertson and the artist.