An island, An astronomical object...:

Ross Hamilton Frew

ROSS HAMILTON FREW
An Island, An Astronomical Object…

STUDIO PAVILION
11 March – 09 April 2018

Solo exhibition of new work by artist Ross Hamilton Frew titled An Island, An Astronomical Object… At the heart of the exhibition lies an interest in the seminal utopian science fiction novel ‘The Dispossesed’ by Ursula K Le Guin, and Frew’s ensuing search for real-life examples of the worlds described therein. His research has led him to focus on the mid-Atlantic, British Overseas Territory, Ascension Island, as well as the imagery found on NASA’s outer planets data search toll (OPUS) which lends favorably to comparisons with Le Guin’s sci-fi worlds. 

Frew spent a month in residence at House for an Art Lover in October 2017 developing work for the exhibition. During that time he worked on the ceramics works that feature in the show, which are based metaphorically on the foliage found on Ascension Island. This mid-Atlantic volcanic island has a plethora of invasive plant species, which continually fight each other for dominance. Frew followed his residency here with one at Perth Institute of Contemporary Art (PICA) where he went on to develop both series of collage works (The Perpetual Traveler and Abstract/Concrete), presented within the show as well as the three dimensional paper sculptures. All made using a variety of collected recyclable materials that also includes previous work reassembled into a new context.

Ross Hamilton Frew has presented work in solo and group exhibitions in the UK and abroad. He lives and works in Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.