Sidcup, England, 1966

Ian Davenport studied at Goldsmiths’ College of Art in London, graduating in 1988 in Fine Arts. In the same year, he participated in the Freeze exhibition, curated by Damien Hirst, who for the first time brought together many who would become Young British Artists. In 1991, he was the youngest artist ever nominated for the Turner award. His work has been exhibited internationally, and is part of several public collections, such as that of Tate, London, the Weltkunst collection, Zurich, and the Dallas, Texas Museum of Art.

Many of Davenport’s works are done by pouring paint over an inclined surface and letting gravity spread the paint over the surface. In addition, the artist prioritizes smooth surfaces, rather than canvas, and uses bright paint, so that the viewer can see his own reflection at work. In the 2019 Blue Court work, acrylic paint flows vertically on an aluminum plate, in parallel threads of predominantly cold colors, such as blues and greens, in the middle of which red threads appear at irregular intervals. The vertical ordering is interrupted at the base of the composition, which, accepting diagonal inclinations and paint accumulation, establishes a visual illusion of depth, as if inviting the spectator to cross the colored curtain of vetical lines. In some installations, Davenport exacerbates the spatial illusion by installing the paintings close to the floor and making the paint flow into the real space, staining the gallery floor with a colorful puddle. Ian Davenport’s work affirms the inexhaustible strength of painting and its relationship with space.