A World Apart
“I have always believed that art should be a deep pleasure. There is always, everywhere, an enormous amount of suffering, but I believe that my duty as an artist is to overcome and alleviate the sterility of despair … New ways of seeing mean new ways of feeling. I do believe that painting can change the world.” And if any artist’s paintings can change the world, they are David Hockney’s.
A monumental digital printed mural wraps its way round the internal perimeter of Serpentine North. It’s like sitting in his garden in the north of France taking in the panorama through the seasons. A Year in Normandie, 2020 to 2021, is formed of more than 100 iPad paintings. The 88 year old isn’t afraid of embracing recent technology while still painting traditionally. This exhibition features the best of both worlds. Sterility of despair begone!
Five new still lifes and five portraits of his family and carers hang in the central space of the gallery. These paintings are united by their geometric frontal compositions and the recurring motif of a gingham tablecloth. Two more worlds collide: figurative and abstract art. David considers that as long as it is on a flat surface all figurative art is inherently abstract.
Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director of Serpentine Galleries, says, “We are excited to present a new exhibition by one of the world’s most important artists … In his new portraits he captures not only his sitters but also the very act of seeing, while the frieze offers a deeply personal meditation on the passage of time.” David Hockney offers us a slower, more colourful world where nature is nearer and a love for life is apparent. Outside, a swan swims up The Serpentine into the morning sun. 
