At the beginning of July, Coates and Scarry were proud to present Dean Melbourne"Garland" at Gallery 8. "Garland" marked the artist's the first solo show in London. This body of work captures Melbourne's instinctive sense of "internal contradiction". In his work, he depicts a risky interaction between opposites such as darkness and light, masculine and feminine, rural and urban, contemporary and ancient, the commonplace and the arcane. Two of these contrasting pieces, entitled "White Phosphor" and "Black Phosphor", also happen to be a part the Royal Academy’s 2014 Summer Exhibition, on view until August 17th.Melbourne beautifully explores through these contradictions, as though revealing a familiar yet complex nature. His work "The Riddle", vibrantly encounters the depth and intricacy within femininity, and as in many of his paintings, Melbourne weaves together layers upon layers of description to fully encapsulate his interpretations. His paintings awaken our primal instincts by associating sources and images and subjects that direct us back to our basic needs.
Dean Melbourne's visually compelling work has shown widely. Make sure to keep this artist on your radar and look out for his next show. Until then, enjoy some pictures of his London debut at Gallery 8.
All images provided by Coates and Scarry
