American artist Rob Pruitt will discuss his new exhibition Therapy Paintings, opening on 24 November at Massimo De Carlo, London, with ArtReview’s senior editor Helen Sumpter.
‘I call this series Therapy Paintings, because the linear information printed onto each impastoed surface is generated during weekly visits to the therapist. I’ve seen a therapist for a good part of my adult life, and even though I’m quite comfortable on the couch, the act of speaking un-self-consciously about myself had always been difficult, even in this sanctified environment. That changed when I began bringing a pocket-sized notepad and pen with me to my sessions. Letting the pen scribble across the paper automatically was like opening up a valve in my brain, allowing me to speak with greater ease. At the time, I never saw these drawings as anything more than the residue of my progress with my therapist. But then I began to recognize how, by capturing and containing the emotional energy that I was feeling at the time, they could become the basis for a type of abstract painting that I have long wanted to explore.’ Rob Pruitt
Join us Monday 23 November, 7pm, bar until 11pm
ArtReview Bar
1 Honduras St
London EC1Y 0TH
RSVP at rsvp@artreview.com.
