Past exhibition
Hodgkin and Creed - Inside Out
18. September – 17. November 2019
This exhibition pairs Howard Hodgkin (1932-2017) with Martin Creed (b.1968). It celebrates their conviction that art offers a framework through which we can express andcome to terms with our complex emotional lives.
From the exhibition Hodgkin and Creed - Inside Out. Photo: Benjamin Ward.
From the inaugural exhibition in The Twist 2019 - Hodgkin and Creed - Inside Out. Photo: Einar Aslaksen.
From the exhibition Hodgkin and Creed - Inside Out. Photo: Benjamin Ward.
The painter and printmaker, Howard Hodgkin, rarely passed comment on contemporary art. He was, however, a fan of Martin Creed, whose work encompasses theatre, dance, film and music, alongside the more traditional fields of painting and sculpture. This is the first exhibition to bring the two artists together, delving into their shared conviction that art offers a framework through which we can explore complex human emotions. To borrow Creed's words: ‘The process of working is a process of trying to get from the inside out.’
The exhibition offers an opportunity to reflect on what is meant by artistic expression. What, for example, can a row of cacti tell us about a person's inner world or the world at large? And what relation might might it have to the expressive materiality of paint? Hodgkin and Creed show us how things and feelings are interrelated; by locating structure and rhythm in the world around us, their work helps to give expression to the unquantifiable, ever-shifting world of emotion.
From the exhibition Hodgkin and Creed - Inside Out. Photo: Einar Aslaksen.
From Closed Gallery inside The Twist. Photo: Einar Aslaksen.
Pairing these artists offers a refreshing view of their work: The first exhibition conceived since his death, Hodgkin and Creed: Inside Out takes us beyond a lyrical reading of Hodgkin's oeuvre and allows us to reconsider it in the context of contemporary art practice. At the same time, it approaches Creed's work through Hodgkin's expressionism, drawing out its essential emotional element.
In 2014 the artists showed their mutual admiration when Hodgkin invited Creed to present him with the Swarovski Whitechapel Gallery Art Icon award. Creed performed his song Feeling Blue in Hodgkin's honor.
Left: Howard Hodgkin, Talking about art, 1975, Oil on wood, 106 x 127 cm. Right: Martin Creed, Work No. 2325. 2015, Multi colour neon, 22,5 x 179,5 x 6 cm.
The exhibition is curated by Guy Robertson and produced by Kistefos in collaboration with The Estate of Howard Hodgkin and Martin Creed. It brings together important works from public and private collections, including the Christen Sveaas Art Collection.
From the opening of The Twist 18th of September 2019. Photo: Benjamin Ward.
From the exhibition Hodgkin and Creed - Inside Out. Photo: Benjamin Ward.