As if submerged by nature, Kathryn Maple's landscapes, fresh with a sense of discovery and vibrancy, bring us closer to the forms at the essence of the natural world. Captivated by the lumps and clusters found in nature, this group of paintings takes these obscure forms and their environment as its starting point, experimenting with the depiction of their individual and collective potential. Abstract and surreal yet distinctively intimate, the striking 'knee' like structures interact and develop relationships as Maple's natural forms erupt in a chorus of conversation.
The act of noticing, a meditative process central to her everyday life and studio practice, sparks Maple to create small drawings that depict the often unnoticed, mundane details of the natural world, allowing the silent voices to resonate. Pushing the boundaries of painting through large brushstrokes, Maple creates open and charged landscapes that uncover the potential of space, texture and colour. Keeping the drawing on the surface of the canvas and intuitively moulding the paint, Maple excavates intersecting landscapes that coalesce in harmony.
Guided by the myriad of natural elements that surround her, the past and present intertwine. The recent discovery of 'knees' that appear as lumps at the feet of the Swamp Cypress Trees at Kew Gardens, overlap with the Salt Tufa's of Mono Lake, California, visited by Maple in 2018. Much like a grouping of hoverflies or algae on water, the collective presence of Maple's marks appear as a swarm of activity. Playing amongst the ambiguity of these forms, Maple maintains a spontaneity and directness to her application of paint that allows space for both the acute details of the natural environment and its broader landscapes to play out. Hovering in unison, Maple's layering of strokes leads to an endlessly detailed visualisation of landscape and encounter that swiftly manoeuvres the pockets of space we inhabit.
Kathryn Maple studied Printmaking at Brighton University and completed The Drawing Year at The Royal Drawing School in 2013. Kathryn was the first prize winner of the 2020 John Moores Painting Prize, and has exhibited widely in the UK and abroad.
Frieze, No.9 Cork Street, London, W1S 3LL
Friday 25 April - Saturday 10 May 2025
Open Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 6pm
