Grow: An exhibition of new works by Olly Fathers.

JGM Gallery presents Grow, an exhibition of new works by London based artist, Olly Fathers.

Using less of the stained timber that featured in much of his earlier work, Fathers places greater emphasis in this exhibition on the organic aspects of his medium. Consistent with this are the protrusions of shapes beyond the borders, as though the timber, recharged with energy, is now outgrowing the conventional margins of an artwork. This novel approach is particularly distinct because of its juxtaposition with the rectangular works in Grow, which seem confined by comparison, like buds waiting to bloom.

There is, then, an invitation to think of these works as existing in a state of flux, and in the mind's eye the audience may imagine the timber to be moving toward a more expanded iteration of its present form. This strikes a line of continuity with Fathers' previous exhibition at JGM Gallery, Tangram, in which he and the artist, Dominic Beattie, presented works as constituents of a larger, unresolved puzzle. In Grow, Fathers shifts away from this conception of his work as a human construct, instead presenting it as an autonomous evolution of nature.

A notable influence on this series is a concept espoused by Michelangelo in his poem, Non ha l’ottimo artista alcun concetto (1547), where he argues that a sculptor does not create but instead reveals the work of God encased within a block of marble by removing the superfluous material around it. Adopting a secular reinterpretation of this idea, Fathers invites the audience to see the forms in his work not as creations of his own making, but as inherent structures of the natural world, waiting to be uncovered. That is, the creative process is seen by the artist as a collaboration with nature, rather than an imposition upon it.

Before this body of work, Fathers would often only use two or three different veneers for any single piece of artwork. Grow, however, features works constructed with greater material variety, and includes veneers cut from birch, spalted beech, figured sycamore, tamo, bubinga, kevasingo, dyed tulip, ash, pear and birds eye maple, amongst others. Consequently, the compositional arrangements are more complex and nuanced than those previously produced by the artist. While he rejects any kind of narrative or representational reading of his work, Fathers admits that the audience might inevitably associate certain shapes with globes, clocks or architectural structures. He emphasises, however, that the process itself guides him, and that these arrangements are prompted by technique, spontaneity, and the materials presented to him.

Jennifer Guerrini Maraldi, Director of JGM Gallery, says that “These works represent an exciting development in Olly's artistic practice, and we are thrilled to be showing them to the public for the first time here at JGM Gallery.”

Opening Reception: 

12 March 2025, 6:30pm to 8:30pm

24 Howie Street, 

London SW11 4AY

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