Denzil Forrester

November 2–December 17, 2016
Four works installed along the walls of a gallery. All four works are figurative, two of them being paintings depicting busy interior scenes and the other two pastel sketches on paper.

Denzil Forrester, installation view, 2016

Three works installed on adjacent walls: the painting IN THE HOUSE OF DUB on the right wall and the smaller drawings HOME BOY and TOASTER on the back wall.

Denzil Forrester, installation view, 2016

Two large paintings installed on two nearby walls: IN THE FIRE OF DUB on the left wall and DUB CHARGE on the right. Both works depict crowds of partygoers from an overhead perspective.

Denzil Forrester, installation view, 2016

Nine works installed on three adjacent walls: four to the left, four to the right and a single large painting on the back wall.

Denzil Forrester, installation view, 2016

Three works on paper installed on adjacent walls: LOAN DUB to the left and SOLAR SYSTEM and NIGHT HERD to the right.

Denzil Forrester, installation view, 2016

Three large paintings installed on adjacent walls: DANCEHALL NIGHTS and SHAKA AT DAWN on the left, and SHAKA ZERO on the right. All depict busy party scenes in vivid colors.

Denzil Forrester, installation view, 2016

Three large paintings installed on adjacent walls: IN THE FIRE OF DUB and DUB SALUTE on the left and SAMPLE THE B SIDE on the right. All depict busy party scenes in vivid colors.

Denzil Forrester, installation view, 2016

NIGHT HUNTERS, 1982. A scene depicting several people walking along a street at night. Some are uniformed, and at least one appears to be a police officer holding out a baton.

Denzil Forrester, installation view, 2016

Interior of a club filled with people. Large speakers are visible at the front of the room. People are depicted in brightly colored hats and fashionable outfits.

Denzil Forrester

SHAKA AT DAWN, 1981

Oil on canvas

96.06 × 71.26 in. (244 × 181 cm.)

A crowd of people, seemingly partygoers, depicted from behind. Most if not all of them wear brightly colored hats.

Denzil Forrester

CROWNS OF DUB, 1983

Oil on canvas

70.47 × 79.92 in. (179 × 203 cm.)

 

A profile bust portrait of a person wearing a red shirt. The portrait is small, and is placed in the center of the frame. The artist’s signature is at the bottom edge of the piece.

Denzil Forrester

MOMENTS, 1983

Pastel and compressed charcoal on paper

22 × 30 inches

Two vaguely rendered upright figures against a sparse background of geometric line work. One figure faces left, seemingly towards the other figure who appears to gaze downwards.

Denzil Forrester

LOAN DUB, 1982

Pastel and compressed charcoal on paper

21 × 22 inches

Press Release

White Columns is proud to present the first exhibition in the United States by Denzil Forrester (b.1956 Grenada, lives and works in London and Truro, UK). This is the second of two recent exhibitions to focus on Forrester’s work from the 1980s (the first is currently on view at London’s Tramps gallery through 3 December). The exhibitions have been curated by the artist Peter Doig and White Columns’ director Matthew Higgs.

The White Columns exhibition will focus on Forrester’s work from the early 1980s, paintings and drawings made in direct response to the burgeoning dub reggae scene in London’s Afro-Caribbean communities. For many years Forrester made drawings in situ in London’s reggae dance halls and unlicensed ‘blues’ parties, where the soundtrack was invariably provided by the legendary dub DJ Jah Shaka (the subject of a number of key paintings by Forrester from this time).

Talking about this era in 1986, and the social and cultural context that his work drew from, Forrester said:

In 1980 I started going to all night ‘blues’ clubs. The music played in these clubs is reggae which generates particular dance movements and specialized clothing; all of which play an important part in my painting. In these clubs, city life is recreated in essence; sounds, lights, police sirens, bodies pushing and swaying back and forth. It’s a continuation of city life with some spiritual fulfilment. The idea of finding tranquil moments among a complex and cluttered environment is the basic structure for my paintings. The figures and images in my work are crowded together, whereas the spaces in between echo the music of the ‘blues’ clubs, but are also reminiscent of the light that breaks through a forest, or the light that reflects from a night club’s mirrored ball. So sound, nature and the city are linked.

In his early 1980s works, Forrester makes visible what might otherwise have remained fleeting or obscured: i.e. the social spaces, the nocturnal communities, and the shared experience of London’s dub subculture.  In a parallel series of works – made concurrently with his dub paintings – Forrester focused on the policing of the Afro-Caribbean community in London, and in particular the 1981 death of his friend Winston Rose in police custody; both exposing and illuminating the social and political injustices faced by Britain’s Afro-Caribbean community at the outset of the Thatcher era.

Denzil Forrester (b. 1956 Grenada). Forrester received a BA in Fine Art from the Central School of Art, London in 1979, and an MA in Fine Art from the Royal College of Art, London in 1983. He was awarded the Rome Scholarship in 1983-85 and a Harkness Fellowship in New York in 1986-88. His work was the subject of a traveling survey ‘Dub Transition: A Decade of Paintings 1980-1990’ in the U.K. (1990-1991), and a solo exhibition at Victoria Street, Bristol in 2002. His work has been included in many group exhibitions, including the 1986 exhibition ‘From Two Worlds’ at London’s Whitechapel Gallery.

White Columns would like to express its gratitude to Denzil Forrester, Peter Doig, Parinaz Mogadassi, Deborah Phillips, and Alastair MacKinven for their enthusiastic collaboration on this exhibition.

A talk between Denzil Forrester, Peter Doig, and Matthew Higgs took place on November 4, 2016 at White Columns, watch the talk here:   https://vimeo.com/album/4247494

For more information and images, contact: info@whitecolumns.org

Press Release

Four works installed along the walls of a gallery. All four works are figurative, two of them being paintings depicting busy interior scenes and the other two pastel sketches on paper.
Three works installed on adjacent walls: the painting IN THE HOUSE OF DUB on the right wall and the smaller drawings HOME BOY and TOASTER on the back wall.
Two large paintings installed on two nearby walls: IN THE FIRE OF DUB on the left wall and DUB CHARGE on the right. Both works depict crowds of partygoers from an overhead perspective.
Nine works installed on three adjacent walls: four to the left, four to the right and a single large painting on the back wall.
Three works on paper installed on adjacent walls: LOAN DUB to the left and SOLAR SYSTEM and NIGHT HERD to the right.
Three large paintings installed on adjacent walls: DANCEHALL NIGHTS and SHAKA AT DAWN on the left, and SHAKA ZERO on the right. All depict busy party scenes in vivid colors.
Three large paintings installed on adjacent walls: IN THE FIRE OF DUB and DUB SALUTE on the left and SAMPLE THE B SIDE on the right. All depict busy party scenes in vivid colors.
NIGHT HUNTERS, 1982. A scene depicting several people walking along a street at night. Some are uniformed, and at least one appears to be a police officer holding out a baton.
Interior of a club filled with people. Large speakers are visible at the front of the room. People are depicted in brightly colored hats and fashionable outfits.
A crowd of people, seemingly partygoers, depicted from behind. Most if not all of them wear brightly colored hats.
A profile bust portrait of a person wearing a red shirt. The portrait is small, and is placed in the center of the frame. The artist’s signature is at the bottom edge of the piece.
Two vaguely rendered upright figures against a sparse background of geometric line work. One figure faces left, seemingly towards the other figure who appears to gaze downwards.

Denzil Forrester, installation view, 2016 (Four works installed along the walls of a gallery. All four works are figurative, two of them being paintings depicting busy interior scenes and the other two pastel sketches on paper.)

Denzil Forrester, installation view, 2016 (Three works installed on adjacent walls: the painting IN THE HOUSE OF DUB on the right wall and the smaller drawings HOME BOY and TOASTER on the back wall.)

Denzil Forrester, installation view, 2016 (Two large paintings installed on two nearby walls: IN THE FIRE OF DUB on the left wall and DUB CHARGE on the right. Both works depict crowds of partygoers from an overhead perspective.)

Denzil Forrester, installation view, 2016 (Nine works installed on three adjacent walls: four to the left, four to the right and a single large painting on the back wall.)

Denzil Forrester, installation view, 2016 (Three works on paper installed on adjacent walls: LOAN DUB to the left and SOLAR SYSTEM and NIGHT HERD to the right.)

Denzil Forrester, installation view, 2016 (Three large paintings installed on adjacent walls: DANCEHALL NIGHTS and SHAKA AT DAWN on the left, and SHAKA ZERO on the right. All depict busy party scenes in vivid colors.)

Denzil Forrester, installation view, 2016 (Three large paintings installed on adjacent walls: IN THE FIRE OF DUB and DUB SALUTE on the left and SAMPLE THE B SIDE on the right. All depict busy party scenes in vivid colors.)

Denzil Forrester, installation view, 2016 (NIGHT HUNTERS, 1982. A scene depicting several people walking along a street at night. Some are uniformed, and at least one appears to be a police officer holding out a baton.)

Denzil Forrester SHAKA AT DAWN, 1981 Oil on canvas 96.06 × 71.26 in. (244 × 181 cm.) (Interior of a club filled with people. Large speakers are visible at the front of the room. People are depicted in brightly colored hats and fashionable outfits.)

Denzil Forrester CROWNS OF DUB, 1983 Oil on canvas 70.47 × 79.92 in. (179 × 203 cm.) (A crowd of people, seemingly partygoers, depicted from behind. Most if not all of them wear brightly colored hats.)

Denzil Forrester MOMENTS, 1983 Pastel and compressed charcoal on paper 22 × 30 inches (A profile bust portrait of a person wearing a red shirt. The portrait is small, and is placed in the center of the frame. The artist’s signature is at the bottom edge of the piece.)

Denzil Forrester LOAN DUB, 1982 Pastel and compressed charcoal on paper 21 × 22 inches (Two vaguely rendered upright figures against a sparse background of geometric line work. One figure faces left, seemingly towards the other figure who appears to gaze downwards.)