Nathan Cash Davidson:
Burlesque in which we’ve thrown it on its head
8 December 2010 – 13 February 2011
14 Wharf Road,
London N1 7RW
T +44 207 490 7373
F + 44 207 490 7775
info [at] parasol-unit.org
An artist and lyricist with a uniquely compelling visual language, Cash Davidson’s paintings feature such diverse figures as King Henry VIII, Eliza Bennett and Ali G. Historical and popular cultural characters and the artist’s own family members meet animated gargoyles and mournful mythological creatures in otherworldly forests, cathedrals, desert islands and council estates; boldly rendered in swirling and often vibrant colours.
Burlesque in which we’ve thrown it on its head is an encounter with Cash Davidson’s prodigious talent for figuration and architectural detail, and his wry and irreverent wit. These accomplished and confident works evoke a rich interior landscape whilst also offering an often bleak and discomfiting perspective of the contemporary metropolis.
Cash Davidson’s writing—‘…Armoured objects selected never last / faster / than the star/ Reflect the future and the past in one’—echoes his preoccupation with leveling history, mythology and the 21st century. The organic narrative development of his imagery is also reflected in his use of the written and spoken word: plants unfurl; buildings spring up and sprawl out; figures appear. Of his poetic visual treatment of his urban surroundings, Cash Davidson has been said to possess ‘the potential to return the power of myth to “things drawn on walls”‘.
Nathan Cash Davidson was born in London in 1988 and studied Painting at Wimbledon School of Art. Aged 22, he will be the youngest artist to exhibit at Parasol unit. Cash Davidson’s paintings have been shown in group exhibitions at Chelsea Space and the Mitchell Library, Glasgow; his first solo show, To Complete My Education, took place at Hannah Barry Gallery, London in 2008. Cash Davidson writes and performs his own raps, and in 2009 took part in the Serpentine Gallery’s Poetry Marathon.
The exhibition is accompanied by a new publication edited by Ziba Ardalan, Director / Curator of Parasol unit and distributed internationally by Koenig Books.
Visitor information
Private view: 7 December, 6.30 – 9 pm
Gallery opening hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10 am – 6 pm and Sunday 12 – 5 pm.
Please note that the gallery will be closed from 18 December 2010 – 3 January 2011 inclusive.
Admission: Free
From Angel Tube station, turn left and walk down City Road for ten minutes before turning left into Wharf Road at the Texaco petrol station. From Old Street Tube station, leave via Exit 1 and walk up City Road for five minutes. Turn right into Wharf Road after passing the Texaco petrol station.
Buses 43, 205 and 214 all travel down City Road.
Note to Editors
Parasol unit foundation for contemporary art is an independent educational charity devoted to promoting contemporary art for the benefit of the public. The core activity of the foundation is to showcase contemporary work of leading and young international artists in various media. In conjunction with each exhibition Parasol unit organises a series of talks and educational events. Each year, Parasol unit mounts four exhibitions in a variety of media, each of which is usually accompanied by a publication. In order to encourage the widest possible access to its exhibition programme, Parasol unit does not charge admission fees for its exhibitions.
Company registration: 05299582/ Registered charity number: 1107425
*Image above:
Private collection.
Image © Nathan Cash Davidson; photography: Stephen White.
