"Venus World," the first solo exhibition of American artist Lucy Bull, is currently underway at the Long Museum West Bund through August 13.

The exhibit features eight abstract paintings, including the artist's first large-scale diptych spanning nearly 6 meters.

Standing close-up, scanning the surface like a map provides a somewhat unorthodox experience in painting. The work passes by cinematically.

Her sense of color derives not from life, but rather, from the possibilities of her paint, from color as a distilled pigment.

Similarly, she has created an alphabet of marks from the gestural possibilities of her instruments. Utilizing her unique mark language and her intuitive grasp of color dynamics, her work encourages a playful encounter, in which the delicacy of forms, and contrasts in emotion stimulate the imagination and intellect.

Within each work Bull crafts universes of drama – universes that follow their own laws and patterns. The scenes seem to come and go, and tensions rise and fall. There is no beginning or end, no stable sense of succession

Born in 1990 in New York, Bull often titles her paintings for the time they were completed.

For example, "22:31" is emblematic of the rhizomatic character of Bull's approach. At a distance, the composition in a lurching gesticulation, cascades across the plane of the linen. A highlight in this work is the wood-grain pattern spilling in from the bottom left corner in deep reds and crisp whites, which dissolve into a commanding mustard yellow.

Exhibit info:

Date: Through August 13 (closed on Mondays), 10am-5pm

Venue: Long Museum West Bund

Address: 3398 Longteng Ave

龙腾大道3398号

Source: City News Service