John Copeland: MIRRORED VIEWFINDER

JD Malat Gallery is thrilled to announce MIRRORED VIEWFINDER, by Californian artist John Copeland. Opening during Frieze Art Week 2024, this exhibition represents a pivotal moment in Copeland's 25+ year career. It delves into the complexities of image-making and representation, as well as Copeland's ongoing battle against overly literal interpretations and his desire as a contemporary painter to create a dialogue that is both complex and engaging.

MIRRORED VIEWFINDER brings together 9 new paintings infused with bold expanses of colour, texture, and form. Copeland's work wrestles with the balance between the visible world and the undercurrents of reality, layering his canvases with thick, textured brush strokes that coalesce traditional art historical motifs with a self-reflective sensibility.

His latest series draws influence from filmmaking techniques, particularly film director and screenwriter, Stanley Kubrick's (1928 – 1999) in his representation of reality. As Copeland notes a viewfinder can become a ‘tool that could both help you see the audience’s view, along with giving the artist room to experiment and play.’ This prospect aligns with his approach, where his application of paint and compositions create a dialogue between viewer and composition that in its duality is both controlled and a removed view of reality.