Juan Bolivar - After Halley

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness..."  'A Tale of Two Cities'. Charles Dickens Juan Bolivar's paintings occupy seemingly extreme positions. They playfully exist somewhere between abstraction and the recognisable world and they hint both at humour and tragedy. Geometry Wars presents a new body of work, comprising twenty one paintings and two sculptures. Painted mostly in 'greyscale' and muted tones,Bolivar's palette presents a flipside to the witticism often associated with his paintings, reminding us, in the words of Peter Ustinov, that comedy is simply a funny way of beingserious. The phrase Geometry Wars describes Bolivar's'struggle with abstraction' - whether to subjugate 'the square', and present it as pure form or whether to animate it into the world of figuration.	Juan Bolivar, Silver, 2007. Courtesy and copyright the artist.
Juan Bolivar, Stupid Dog, 2006. Courtesy and copyright the artist	Paintings such as Silver, 2007, exemplify Bolivar'sapproach. The work could resemble a reflective surface such as the window in a lighthouse; a painting of a photograph (Silver as in silver nitrate) or even a painting of a painting. It is also a geometric arrangement; and it is suggestive of the work of other abstract artists such asElsworth Kelly or Kasimir Malevich. The exhibition title alludes at a political resonance reflected in a number of works featuring familiar war imagery - a battleship, a plane, a watchtower and a bunker. But Bolivar also point to his concerns for pure abstraction and formalism by the inclusion of two sculptures in this exhibition. Prototype Meter - a small gold bar and Prototype Kilogram - a black (25 Kg.) weight. Here the question remains - are these props simply reminders of our systems for weight and measures, or are we to read further meanings and associations suggested by these?
Bolivar's paintings hover between the ridiculous and the sublime. They allude at other worlds beyond the picture plane such as in paintings like Bell. However under closer inspection, paintings such as Raft of the Medusa orShack, show a battered side to modernism's promise of a new world. Juan Bolivar was born in Caracas, Venezuela in 1966 and lives and works in London. He was selected for EAST International 2007, Norwich and has exhibited in numerous group exhibitions in the UK and internationally. Between 2001 and 2005, Bolivar curated and organised ten independent, contemporary art exhibitions in temporary locations in London under the banner of TRAILER. Geometry Wars is a John Hansard Gallery exhibition. Juan Bolivar is represented by Galerie Lucy Mackintosh, Switzerland. A fully-illustrated catalogue accompanying the exhibition will be launched on Saturday 26 July. Limited Edition Juan Bolivar Print: For a chance to win a signed copy of Stupid Dog, 2008 (part of an Edition of 10) pick up an entry form at our reception desk, simply answer a few questions relating to the exhibition and enter this free prize draw! Artist's Interview JHG Director Stephen Foster in conversation with Juan Bolivar. Video produced by e-media, University of Southampton.