GRAHAM RICH OPEN SEA

Exhibition 14 May to 6 June 2011

Private View: Friday 13 May 6 - 9pm

Belgrave St Ives

22 Fore Street

St Ives, Cornwall

TR26 1HE

01736 794888

info@belgravestives.co.uk

Born in Devon, Graham Rich has lived for a great many years on the banks of the

River Exe. He built his first boat aged 10, since then boats and water have been a

major part of his life. Having previously sailed from his native Devon to neighbouring

Cornwall on many occasions, it seems to make sense to bring an exhibition of his

work, that feature boats and sailing, to the seaside town of St Ives, itself founded on

fishing and more recently host to a (still) thriving artist colony. Utilising found marine

materials, the work has an aesthetic quality that enjoys a rich resonance with the

town of St Ives. However, in Graham Rich’s work there is an underlying conceptual

aspect.

The artist says the sailing boat first appeared in his work subconsciously. He began

scratching the image of his own boat on pieces of wood and other materials found

during voyages. This realised a different kind of space within his painting and the

discovery that ‘the found is more powerful than the made’. The addition of the etched

boat would mysteriously reveal the coastlines, weather conditions, harbours and

underwater hazards of his actual voyaging experiences.

On another level, the symbol of the boat can stand as metaphor for life’s journey and

its difficulties and the elation experienced. As the poet Tom Clark has written, the

relatively diminished scale of the sailing boat is both significant and critical. He said

that the boat, which is beyond hailing distance, defined a boundary in human

relationships. The boat can be seen as either sailing away from communication, or

sailing towards it. A pertinent image of the way we live today.

Notes:

1) Photographs of work in this exhibition are available on request in high or low resolution.

2) The artist and/or curator are available for interview, please contact through Belgrave St

Ives to make an appointment (tel. 01736 794888).

3) Belgrave St Ives, formally Belgrave Gallery St Ives opened in 1998 as sister gallery to

Belgrave Gallery (established London 1974)

4) Michael Gaca is Director Belgrave St Ives and Curator of this exhibition.

5) The artist is represented in London by The Fine Art Society (established 1876)