The curatorial and editorial project for systems, non-
Saturation Point Sunday Salon 28 | Karen Loader | this, that & the other
Saturation Point, Deptford, London, 15 -
A review by Laurence Noga
©Copyright Patrick Morrissey and Clive Hancock All rights reserved.
A semi-
The curatorial decisions strike us immediately, drawing our attention to the seamless
nature and construction of the cradled plywood panels. The sensitive placement of
Interloper (2023) and Melancholy Morning (2023) allows colour to pulsate quietly
from one painting into the other. The sense of coherence in these works brings an
intriguing illusion of depth, as the stained colour pulls us very slowly into the
built-
Multiple and reciprocal spaces open and close like an organic natural system in Little
Fictions (2023). This semi-
Play it again (2023) establishes a more measured dialogue. The ground colour operates
magnificently to promote the dazzling aura of the internal shapes, highlighting both
their profile and direction. The optical orientation, and the close proximity of
the tonal choices, brings to mind Joseph Albers’ Homage to the Square: R-
Warm Embrace has a distilled quality. The application of the paint feels a little more poured (yet still controlled) letting the contrast it uses pick up on the natural light. The work’s physicality points us towards more of a human interaction. The intimate shapes lean towards us, building a kind of rational harmony. I like the way that, just as we are getting comfortable in reading the composition, (the way the shapes are echoed) we notice the change of width in one of the pink structures. There is a kind of poise in the way the work is arranged that forces us to question the painting’s dimensions and multiple readings, like a sequence of events.
The hypnotic pairings of Matrix 1&2 and Matrix 3&4 hold our spatial gaze. At first they seem to operate at a much faster pace than their counterparts. The negative spaces and the brilliant colour choices allow the ground colour to be read vertically. But as we start to recognise the scale and placement of the triangles, a softer, more hidden organic shape emerges, which stays deeply embedded in our thoughts as we contemplate these paintings’ illusory and compositional strategies.
In Arc1&2 the complementary colour choices and compositional devices make us feel
a little more uneasy. The throw-
When I met Loader recently at her exhibition, she mentioned her random meanderings around the city, and the impact of those journeys. Her natural understanding of phenomenological concerns is deeply rooted in her approach. We sense echoes of found spaces, light fittings, doorways, and the use of ephemeral materials that underpin the paintings’ context. But it is the underlying strength of the work (like an intervention) which illuminates those overlaps – fusing together or shifting apart, and creating an innovative and highly sensory experience.