18 – 21 March 2010
Co-curated with Kay Saatchi
In partnership with the Royal Norwegian Embassy
8 Egerton Garden Mews, London SW3 2EH MAP
Press Release

Sunday Telegraph January 2011

 

 

Ian Garlant was born in 1962 to an English father and Norwegian mother. A former distinguished figure in the fashion world, Ian is now making art full time from his studio on Hardanger fjord in Norway. His fashion background boasts over 20 years at the top of leading fashion houses including Aquascutum and Hardy Amies. Garlantʼs couture fashion designs have been exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts and Victoria & Albert Museum.
Garlantʼs art is inspired by the dramatic isolated landscape of Hardanger fjord. Some of Garlantʼs recent work included in the UnEarth exhibition respond to the late revered Norwegian poet, Olav H Hauge (1908–1994) who also lived on the same fjord. Working with and within the landscape, Garlantʼs creative process involves burning, bathing and scraping pre-used wood, asphalt and sand of the fjord. These materials are transformed into commanding, archetypal, mysterious artworks in the form of sculptural paintings ranging in size from 50x50cm to 120x120cm.
His abstract and formal compositions, that are both primordial and futuristic, are finished in a palette of earth and metallic tones. The dramatic making process brings the materials back to life into artworks which suggest myth, rebirth and creative force – his art is as surprising as the earth itself.
Included in the exhibition will be photographs taken onsite at Garlantʼs studio in Hardanger fjord documenting the artists extraordinary working methods and the surrounding natural environment.
UnEarth has been realized by the generous support and enthusiasm of the Norwegian Ambassador and the Royal Norwegian Embassy. Works in the exhibition will be for sale through Meredith Gunderson ltd.