Artrom Gallery is launching its new bricks and mortar exhibition space in Rome, Italy with a show by an artist who is coming from New Zealand just for the event.

Image: Still Life Room III, The Order of the Silver Spoon, 2006

Artrom Gallery is launching its new bricks and mortar exhibition space in Rome, Italy with a show by an artist who is coming from New Zealand just for the event.

Image: Still Life Room III, The Order of the Silver Spoon, 2006

A unique opportunity means Clay Bodvin, an Artrom Gallery Guild member, will be in attendance for the opening on September 24.

Bodvin specialises in reinventing the still life and provides this background to his work: -
"Burgeoning arrays of new consumables prompted by changing manufacturing methods. Corresponding waves of spectacular commodity consumption. Growing middle classes with increasing wealth. Not events normally associated with the early 17th or the late 19th centuries. Nevertheless this was happening at two significant points in time, and as a result, unparalleled desires for these luxury goods stirred in the privileged and style-conscious.

This was reflected in an increasing compulsion to enhance and document one's personal, sensual pleasure - and resulted in an upsurge in the popularity of the painted image, particularly the still life. These paintings became must have items in that they displayed a patron's tastes and desires while also providing a conspicuous public record of their new found ability to acquire and consume.

Just consider the Dutch vanitas still life and, later, the modernist domestic interiors of Cezanne, Matisse and Picasso. Two significant tides of creativity - fuelled in each case by these confluent events. Now, fast forward to the present-day explosion of material goods and corresponding, rampant consumerism.

This time, however, it is a convergence with a difference - ie, artists now have the tools to transform collections of everyday objects in ways previously unimagined. What if Matisse had created his Red Interiors and paper cut-outs with laptops and photomedia technology? What might these now-possible imaginings look like?"

Possible answers to these questions can be seen in the recent work of Clay Bodvin. Using planned intentional-accidents Bodvin controls every aspect of his pixelated, flat-colour shapes and juxtaposes them with lush, continuous-tone textures and surfaces.

The reformatting (reinventing, recreating) of Bodvin's virtually-collaged, domestic interiors and serial compositions is, however, still in the manner of traditional still life painting. Done by distorting perspective and spatial depth; enlarging pots and jugs out of all proportion; and infusing humble things like oranges or wall coverings with unnaturally intense colours.

The believing is in the beholding and the next opportunity to become a believer will be in Rome at Artrom Gallery. If in town, the special opening event will take place, with the artist in the gallery ,on September 24. For more information about this show and other gallery activities please contact

ARTROM Gallery
Via Faiti 6, #1
00195 Roma
email: info@artromgallery.com
phone: 39 06 3227019

And don't forget to visit the website for an online preview of some of Bodvin's work
www.artromgallery.com