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Frances Richardson: If I measure it must exist

Past exhibition
25 October - 25 November 2021 Karsten Schubert London
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Overview
Frances Richardson, If I measure it must exist

Karsten Schubert London is pleased to present a solo exhibition of new work by Frances Richardson. Central to the exhibition are themes of balance and counterbalance, real and phantom, be it through intricate ink drawings of objects or in drawings in sculptural form. Every element sits together to create a walk-through still life of Richardson’s making.

 

Whether in her MDF ‘drawings’ of recognisable objects, as Richardson describes works such as Object for thinking about empty and Object for thinking about opening, or in her imagined ‘moths’ series, Richardson draws attention to the innate qualities of materials. Her use of MDF sits in tension with the objects it appears to represent. Made and installed to be deliberately without function, these objects are what Richardson refers to as ‘phantom reals’, physical reflections that exist as echoes of an original. Her ‘real phantoms’, meanwhile, are less recognisable. These Rorschach-like geometric objects made from book-matched wood veneer, a material that is an explicit visual record of time, cling tentatively to the walls. However, these ‘moths’ are far from the transient, ephemeral creatures their name might suggest.

 

The title piece of the show, If I measure it must exist, is made from a length of pine cut into three pieces and folded. Resting somewhat provisionally on the edge of a gallery table, it evokes a hinged ruler recently  put down after use. Unpredictably, however, this ‘ruler’ has no numbers, with only its wild grain and the artist’s rhythmically gauged marks suggesting anything against which to measure.

 

Richardson’s approach is never linear. Noting that the gallery does not have ceiling lights, the artist was prompted to make a collection of lamps. Simple and elegant, these lamps are at once sculptural and functional. When directed close to the ‘moths’, the light they emit is like a beam from a photocopier scanning in slow motion, illuminating the exquisite, smooth surface of the veneer.

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Installation Views
  • Installation view, Karsten Schubert London, 2021

    Installation view, Karsten Schubert London, 2021

  • Installation view, Karsten Schubert London, 2021

    Installation view, Karsten Schubert London, 2021

  • Installation view, Karsten Schubert London, 2021

    Installation view, Karsten Schubert London, 2021

  • Installation view, Karsten Schubert London, 2021

    Installation view, Karsten Schubert London, 2021

  • Installation view, Karsten Schubert London, 2022

    Installation view, Karsten Schubert London, 2022

  • Installation view, Karsten Schubert London, 2021

    Installation view, Karsten Schubert London, 2021

  • Installation view, Karsten Schubert London, 2021

    Installation view, Karsten Schubert London, 2021

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Works
  • Frances Richardson In an attempt to deny their mortality III, 2021 Chinese ink on paper 76 x 56 cm | 29 7/8 x 22 1/8 in
    Frances Richardson
    In an attempt to deny their mortality III, 2021
    Chinese ink on paper
    76 x 56 cm | 29 7/8 x 22 1/8 in
  • Frances Richardson In an attempt to deny their mortality II, 2021 Chinese ink on paper 76 x 56 cm | 29 7/8 x 22 1/8 in
    Frances Richardson
    In an attempt to deny their mortality II, 2021
    Chinese ink on paper
    76 x 56 cm | 29 7/8 x 22 1/8 in
  • Frances Richardson In an attempt to deny their mortality I, 2021 Chinese ink on paper 76 x 56 cm | 29 7/8 x 22 1/8 in
    Frances Richardson
    In an attempt to deny their mortality I, 2021
    Chinese ink on paper
    76 x 56 cm | 29 7/8 x 22 1/8 in
  • Frances Richardson Clotho, 2021 Pale moon ebony (Diospyros malabarica) veneer on birch plywood 117 x 40 x 8 cm | 46 1/8 x 15 3/4 x 3 1/8 in (approx)
    Frances Richardson
    Clotho, 2021
    Pale moon ebony (Diospyros malabarica) veneer on birch plywood
    117 x 40 x 8 cm | 46 1/8 x 15 3/4 x 3 1/8 in (approx)
  • Frances Richardson Still thinking: hanging on in there, 2021 Copper 65 x 34 x 3 cm | 25 5/8 x 13 3/8 x 1 1/8 in
    Frances Richardson
    Still thinking: hanging on in there, 2021
    Copper
    65 x 34 x 3 cm | 25 5/8 x 13 3/8 x 1 1/8 in
  • Frances Richardson Styx, 2021 Black walnut (Juglans nigra) burr veneer on birch plywood, copper 60 x 50 x 3 cm | 23 5/8 x 19 3/4 x 1 1/8 in (approx)
    Frances Richardson
    Styx, 2021
    Black walnut (Juglans nigra) burr veneer on birch plywood, copper
    60 x 50 x 3 cm | 23 5/8 x 19 3/4 x 1 1/8 in (approx)
  • Frances Richardson Object for thinking about opening, 2021 MDF, screws, paint 220 x 105 x 7.5 cm | 86 5/8 x 41 3/8 x 3 in
    Frances Richardson
    Object for thinking about opening, 2021
    MDF, screws, paint
    220 x 105 x 7.5 cm | 86 5/8 x 41 3/8 x 3 in
  • Frances Richardson Atropos, 2021 Redwood burr (Sequoia sempervirens), burr veneer on birch plywood, copper 63 x 100 x 2.5 cm | 24 3/4 x 39 3/8 x 1 in (approx)
    Frances Richardson
    Atropos, 2021
    Redwood burr (Sequoia sempervirens), burr veneer on birch plywood, copper
    63 x 100 x 2.5 cm | 24 3/4 x 39 3/8 x 1 in (approx)
  • Frances Richardson Still thinking, 2020 Copper and abalone Diameter: 5 cm | 2 in Perspex plate: 7.5 x 7.5 cm | 3 x 3 in
    Frances Richardson
    Still thinking, 2020
    Copper and abalone
    Diameter: 5 cm | 2 in
    Perspex plate: 7.5 x 7.5 cm | 3 x 3 in
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Publications
  • Frances Richardson

    Frances Richardson

    If I measure it must exist 2021 Softcover 23pp pages
    Dimensions: 25 x 17 cm
    Read more
Video
Karsten Schubert London is pleased to present a solo exhibition of new work by Frances Richardson. Central to the exhibition are themes of balance and counterbalance, real and phantom, be it through intricate ink drawings of objects or in drawings in sculptural form.

Related artist

  • Frances Richardson

    Frances Richardson

Back to Past exhibitions

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info@karstenschubert.com

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