Inspired by the wandering spirit of artists, Songs of the Open Road is the latest addition at Halcyon Gallery, 148 New Bond Street. The exhibition, which runs until 1 September, features seven acclaimed artists, including British contemporary artist Robert Montgomery. With works exhibited in the Musée du Louvre in Paris and Buffalo AKG Art Museum (formerly Albright-Knox) in New York, Montgomery’s signature light-poems take centre stage in the gallery programme, in addition to romantic abstract landscapes overlaid with poetic lines.
Alongside his work, paintings by Bob Dylan, David Hockney, Claude Monet, Pedro Paricio, Dominic Harris and Ernesto Cánovas adorn the walls of Halcyon Gallery, capturing iconic landscapes, such as the Hollywood Hills and Route 66.
Brought together under the title of Walt Whitman’s 1856 poem, Song of the Open Road, the artworks collectively illustrate the impact of technology on an artist’s ability to travel and bring to life the world around us. As with Whitman’s celebration of wanderlust, each piece conveys a love of exploration, from trips to otherworldly destinations to unexpected digital realms.
A highlight of the exhibition is Harris’ brand-new immersive installation, Blue Visions of an Iridescent Soul. The architect-turned-artist’s dynamic work reveals a microscopic perspective of a butterfly’s wings, shining a light on the unseen wonders of our environment. At the other end of the scale, a new multi-layered piece by Spanish artist Cánovas is concerned with the spectrum of time. Vintage sources are reworked onto wooden panels to achieve a dreamlike obscurity. As in memory, the work combines new with old media to create a considered duality.
Following from the success of In Plain Sight, Songs of the Open Road is an exciting story of artistic exploration, continuing the London gallery’s love of Impressionism and Contemporary Art.
Halcyon Gallery, 148 New Bond Street, London W1S 2TR