The Geometry of Abstraction: Paul Smith, 9 Albemarle Street

 

Paul Smith, 9 Albemarle is pleased to present ‘The Geometry of Abstraction’, a group exhibition featuring Sinta Tantra, Sussy Cazalet, Richard Schur, Lothar Götz and Jessica Yolanda Kaye. These five artists masterfully distil form to its essence, engaging with abstract expressionism and minimalist compositions. Their works, characterised by linear precision and geometric rigor, evoke a sense of profound calm, reflection and contemplation.

 

Sinta Tantra (b. 1979, New York) is a British artist of Balinese descent. She studied at the Slade School of Fine Art, University College London between 1999–2003 and later continued her studies in art at the Royal Academy Schools in London, graduating in 2006. Tantra describes herself as a painter working on an architectural scale. By using abstract geometric style, exploring colour, identity, and narratives, she questions the function of spaces in her work. Sinta Tantra is highly regarded for her site-specific murals and installations in the public realm.

Sinta Tantra’s artworks can be found in international private and public collections, including Government Art Collection UK; Louis Vuitton Collection Southeast Asia; Karachi Biennale; Benetton Collection; Folkestone Triennial, Canary Wharf; Tumurun Museum, Indonesia; Museum MACAN, Indonesia. In 2024, Tantra was nominated for the Sovereign Asian Art Prize. Tantra is a recipient of many awards including the Bridget Riley Drawing Fellow at The British School at Rome (2017); Shortlisted for the Jerwood Contemporary Painting Prize (2015); British Council’s International Development Award (2014); First Prize, Painting and Decorating Industry Award (2012);The Royal British Society of Sculptors AHRBS (2012); British Council Grant (2009); Courvoisier ‘The Future 500’ in partnership with The Observer Newspaper (2009); Arts Council England (2007); and Deutsche Bank Award (2006), Paul Smith Scholarship at the Royal Academy of Arts (2003-2006) and the Henry Moore Sculpture Fund (2002).

 

Sussy Cazalet (b.1983) is a British artist based between Norfolk and London, whose textile works are characterised by bold patterns layered in blocks of warm colour, a departure from more traditional designs and
muted palettes typically associated with tapestry.

 

An early obsession with medieval tapestries, and more recently Alexander Calder’s wall hangings, lead Cazalet on a path through India and Africa in search of master weavers, establishing relationships with local femalebased collectives who have time and again translated and manifested her endless watercolour studies into woven art pieces. Over the past four years, Cazalet has worked closely with her weavers, developing a unique set of dyes and techniques individual to her bold yet controlled style.

 

Cazalet utilises traditional techniques, such as flat loom weaving and organic dyeing, selecting natural fibres and hand weaving to bring her tapestries into being. Her works not only pay homage to the rich history of tapestry but also point towards its exciting potential. The distinctive colour scheme of her tapestries – the rich array of hot terracottas and burnt siennas – express Cazalet’s affinity with the heat of the sun and the associated madness, tempered by linear tightness and geometry, as "an attempt to calm the chaos.”

 

Cazalet studied interior architecture at Parsons NYC, worked with art directors in fashion and theatre.

 

Richard Schur (b. 1971) studied with Jerry Zeniuk at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich, and graduated as "Meisterschüler" in 2000. From 2002 to 2008, he taught painting as Assistant Professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich. Working as if you could hear the sound of colour, Schur creates visual experiences based on the transcendental qualities of colour. Through a long, systematic and intuitive process, he aims to reflect
the meaning of every brushstroke and any detail in his compositions.

Richard Schur’s work can be found in prominent public and private collections worldwide including Pinakothek der Moderne (Germany); Guangdong Museum of Art (China); CCA, Centro Cultural Andraxt (Spain); CAAM, Centro Atlàntico de Arte Moderno, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain); Agnes Gund Collection (USA); BMW Group art collection and Allianz art collection.

 

German artist Lother Götz (b. 1963 in Gunzburg, Germany) completed an MA at the Royal College of Art in 1998, after studying in Germany at Aachen, Düsseldorf and Wuppertal. He has exhibited widely in the UK and abroad, with solo shows at galleries such as Gasworks (London), the Chisenhale (London), Mappin Art Gallery (Sheffield), Museum Goch (Germany), David Risley Gallery (Copenhagen) and the Petra Rinck Gallery (Dusseldorf), and has been included in group exhibitions in Amsterdam, Dublin, Hamburg, Hanover, Salamanca, Wilhelmshaven and Wuppertal. He also participated in the Prague Triennale.

In Spring 2010 Götz contributed a major work to an international showcase exhibition on wall-painting at the Miró Foundation in Barcelona. His other public commissions include Platform for Art at Piccadilly Circus underground station in 2007, a collaboration with Caruso St John Architects at the Arts Council England Offices in 2008, a commission at Haymarket Metro Station, Newcastle in 2009, and site-specific wall painting projects such as Xanadu at Leeds Art Gallery in 2017, Composition for a Staircase at Pallant House Gallery in Chichester in 2016, and Dance Diagonal at Towner Gallery in Eastbourne in 2019. Götz has also participated in art residencies in New York, Shanghai and Guangzhou, and the Abbey Fellowship at the British School at Rome in 2010.

The artist currently lives and works in both London and Berlin, and is Associate Professor of Fine Art at the University of Sunderland.

 

Born in Sydney, Australia, and now based in London, Jessica Yolanda Kaye is an abstract expressionist artist who distils the complexities of intimate relationships into their purest forms. Characterised by bold lines and evocative shapes, her work invites quiet reflection and connection.

Kaye’s work finds beauty in the simplicity of human forms, while exploring deeper complexities within those intimate relationships. Materials play a crucial role in her work, frequently travelling to Paris and Florence to source handmade paper and antique French frames, which provide a distinctive contrast to her contemporary pieces.

 

Any enquiries please contact:
Katie.heller@paulsmith.co.uk
Bronte.crouch@paulsmith.co.uk

 

Exhibition Dates: 1st August – 8th September

Opening Hours: Monday - Friday, 11 am - 6.30 pm

Sunday, 12 pm - 6.00 pm

 

Venue: 9 Albemarle St, London W1S 4BL, United Kingdom