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Robin Mason

Fine Art Painting

Head of Painting

Robin Mason lives and works in London, he grew up at the coast in Porthcawl, South Wales, which continues to inform his work. Working out of the genre of Transcription he has spent the last decade or more visiting, drawing and painting from The Isenheim Altarpiece in Colmar. The Isenheim Altar Piece by Mathias Grunewald painted in the 1500’s has an optimistic pessimism which he sees as being infected by both the stench of ergotic disease and the sweet perfume of the erotic which has drifted from this altarpiece for half a millennium. The recently deceased Jorg Immendorf's paintings are a source of inspiration and guidance in the use of mixed language, along with the attic paintings of Kiefer and Takashi Murakami’s dialogue and merger of contemporary culture and art history. Giorgio Agamben’s “Profanations” positions Mason's dialogue with the Sacred and the Profane.

Robin Mason - Images

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"... The existence or not of the coast/beach, in my work, is always a conscious decision. Its push and pull continues to draw me, both consciously and subconsciously. As does the memory of Sundays which started with church, followed by the merrygorounding sound and sweet smell of toffee apples, candyfloss and pink coconut ice from the funfair, that hovered on the back of every fine summer day of childhood. Optimism and pessimism are close bed fellows at the coast where a good summer can bring so many pleasurable memories, while the sea obeys its own rules of nature, taking lives and ripping ships on the rocks in winters storms and summers drag tides. But still the amusement arcades echoed their bingo calls across the town, where the church bells merged to ease another day into the continual sunset upon sunset at Rest Bay. It is the ceremonial symbolism of the church where I carried the incense boat and the drama of that sublime constant of the coast, merged with the kitsch memorabilia/souvenir of fun fair that still causes me to make work that tries to hold onto a fragment of those memories, before they fade forever... "

Education

  • 2006- Research by Project, Royal College of Art, MPhil/PhD ongoing
  • 2006-07 Royal College of Art, Research Methodologies course
  • 1981-84 Royal College of Art, MA Painting
  • 1977-80 Wolverhampton Polytechnic, BA(Hons) Fine Art
  • 1976-77 Cardiff College of Art, Foundation Studies

Curatorial Activity

  • 2007 ‘Nature and Society // Parallel Lines’, Ethnographic Museum Dubrovnik
  • 2006 ‘Obsession’, Sartorial Contemporary, London
  • 2004 ‘…if you go down to the woods today…’ Rockwell Gallery, London

Teaching

Currently Head of Painting at City & Guilds of London Art School (BA(Hons) and MA Fine Art)

Previous activity includes:External Assessor (Illustration) Westminster University; Course Consultant KIAD/UCCA; Curatorial Consultant KIAD/UCCA Rochester; Visiting Tutor at the Royal College of Art, Winchester School of Art, Kent Institute of Art and Design, City and Guilds of London Art School. Pre Publishing Consultant Laurence King Publishing.

Solo Shows

  • 2001 ‘Passion’, Vertigo, London2000 ‘Passion’, Arthus Gallery, Brussels
  • 1997 ‘After Colmar’, Nielson and Wuetrich Fine Art, Thun, Switzerland
  • 1995 ‘Bocklin’s Rock’ Galerie Fossati, Basel, Switzerland
  • 1995 ‘Homage to Bocklin’s Rock’ Lamont Gallery, London
  • 1995 ‘Paintings and Drawings’, Glynn Vivian Art Gallery & Museum, Swansea
  • 1994 ‘Homage to Bocklin’s Rock’, Galerie zur Alten Deutsche Schule, Thun, Switzerland
  • 1992 Galerie zur Alten Deutsche Schule, Thun, Switzerland 1992 Long and Ryle International, London
  • 1989 Andrew Knight Gallery, Cardiff
  • 1985 ‘ Caressing the Twisting Form’ Roger Francis Gallery, London  

Group Shows

2009 ‘Strange Days and some Flowers’, Storey Gallery, Lancaster (July/September) 2008 ‘The Future Can Wait ‘, The New London School, Old Truman Brewery, London 2008 ‘Paint Lab’, Hockney Gallery, Royal College of Art, London 2008 ‘Icon’, Primo Alonso, London 2007 ‘The Future Can Wait ‘, The New London School, Atlantis Gallery, London 2007 ‘Still Life, Still’, T 1±2 Gallery, London 2007 ‘Parallel Lines - Nature and Society’ - Dubrovacki Muzeji (Dubrovnik Museum) Croatia 2006 ‘Broken Romaticism’, Standpoint Gallery, London 2006 ‘Requiem’, St Anselms Church, London 2006 ‘Obsession’, Sartorial Contemporary, London 2006 ‘Miami Art Fair’, USA (Charlie Smith London)2004 “If You Go Down to the Woods Today”, Rockwell Gallery, London 2003 ‘Gallery Artists’, Vertigo, London2002 ‘30 x 30’, Vertigo, London 2001 ‘Drawing the Line’, Vertigo, London 2000 Art 2000, London (Vertigo Gallery) 2000 ‘Transformations’, Lamont Gallery, London 1999 Art 99, London (Lamont Gallery)1999 ‘Artists From Britain’, Arthus Gallery, Brussels 1999 ‘Royal National Eisteddfod’, Cardiff 1999 ‘Robin Mason and Shani Rhys James’, Paton Gallery, London 1999 ‘Evidence’, Maidstone Museum and Art Gallery 1999 ‘Cheltenham Drawing Open’, Cheltenham and Berlin 1998 Art 98, London (Lamont Gallery) 1998 Robin Mason and Shani Rhys James, Paton Gallery, London 1997 ‘A-Z, Amiet to Sbinden’, Villa Schupbach, Steffisburg, Switzerland 1997 Glasgow Contemporary Art Fair (Lamont Gallery) 1997 Art 97, London (Lamont Gallery) 1996 ‘Bally Art Festival’, Thun, Switzerland1996 ‘Landscape’, Virgin Atlantic, London1996 Glasgow Contemporary Art Fair (Lamont Gallery)1996 ‘Recent Acquisitions’, Unilever, London1996 ‘Déjà vu’, George Rodger Gallery, KIAD, Maidstone 1996 Art 96, London (Lamont Gallery)1995 ‘Contemporary Classics’, The Studio Club, London 1995 ‘Heads’, Galerie Fossati, Basel, Switzerland 1995 ‘Beyond the Interior’, Lamont Gallery, London 1995 Art 95, London (Lamont Gallery) 1994 ‘Drawing’, Galerie Fossati, Basel, Switzerland 1994 3±3 , Bruton Street Gallery, London 1994 ‘Beautiful Blooms’, Lamont Gallery, London 1993 ‘Imperial Cancer Contemporary Art’, Sotheby’s, London 1993 ‘Contemporary Art Society Stand, Art ’93, London 1993 ‘Sunday Times Watercolour Competition’, Mall Galleries, London 1993 ‘Royal National Eisteddfod’1992 Contemporary Art Society Art Market, London 1992 Los Angeles Art Fair, USA (Galerie Z a d S, Switzerland)1992 ‘Cabinet Paintings’, Glynn Vivian Art Gallery and Museum, Swansea 1992 ‘Summer Exhibition’, Royal Academy of Art, London 1991 Contemporary Art Society Art Market, London 1991 ‘New Patrons’, Christies, London 1991 ‘Cabinet Paintings’, Gillian Jason, London1991 ‘Discerning Eye’, Mall Galleries, London 1990 Contemporary Art Society Art Market, London 1990 ‘Three Ways’, British Council & Royal College of Art tour to Eastern Europe 1990 ‘The Art Machine’, McLellan Gallery, Glasgow 1990 ‘Recent Acquisitions’, Leicestershire Education Authority, Leicester 1989 Contemporary Art Society Art Market, London 1989 ‘Works on Paper’, Galerie zur Alten Deutschen Schule, Thun, Switzerland 1989 ‘New Faces from Britain’, Galerie zur Alten Deutschen Schule, Thun, Switzerland 1989 ‘Royal Overseas League’, Overseas House, London 1989 ‘Cleveland Drawing Biennale’, Middlesbrough 1988 Contemporary Art Society Art Market, London 1988 ‘Recent Acquisitions’, Unilever House, London1988 ‘Summer Show’, Flaxman Gallery, London 1988 ‘Small Pictures’, Square Gallery, London 1988 ‘Homage to the Square’, Flaxman Gallery, London 1987 Contemporary Art Society Art Market, London 1987 ‘100 Prominent Artists’, Diorama gallery, London 1987 ‘The Other Side of the Hill’, Flaxman Gallery, London 1987 ‘New Artists’, Piccadilly Gallery, London 1986 Contemporary Art Society Art Market, London 1986 ‘Interiors’, Upstairs Gallery, London 1986 ‘Drawings as Screens’, Joseph pour La Maison, London 1986 ‘A Tribute to Peter de Francia’, Café Casbar, London 1986 ‘Still Life’, Oriel Bangor, North Wales 1985 Contemporary Art Society Art Market, London 1984 ‘Pick of New Graduate Art’, Christies, London 1984 Contemporary Art Society Art Market, London 1980 ‘New Graduates’, Sainsbury Centre, Norwich 1980 ‘Pick of New Graduate Art’, Icon Gallery, Birmingham 1980 ‘Northern Young Contemporaries’, Whitworth Gallery, Manchester

Awards

1989 First Prize and Trophy Winner Royal Overseas League 1989 First Prize, Cleveland International Drawing Biennale 1984 Burston Prize for Painting 1983 J Andrew Lloyd Scholarship for Landscape Painting 1979 First Prize, Northern Young Contemporaries, Whitworth Gallery, Manchester

Collections

Royal College of ArtGovernment Art CollectionUnilever (1988 & ’95)Walt Disney ProductionsDiamond Trading CompanyCleveland County CouncilRosehaugh Stanhope Plc.Leicestershire Education AuthorityLondon UndergroundTI Group (Collection sold at Sotheby’s)

Commissions

Drawings for The International Book of Lofts – Thames and HudsonIllustrations for Spanish Style- Thames and HudsonUnderground Poster Commission – London Transport

Recent Bibliography 

2007 Nature and Society // Parallel Lines Ethnographic Museum Dubrovnik – Essay The Forest Within - Richard Dyer 2007 Research RCA Edited by Sandra Kemp 


Also read:

links
words and images youtube


interview for "The Future Can Wait"


Storey Gallery "Strange Days and Some Flowers"


Robin Mason - Words