France-Lise McGurn at Kunthaus Centre d’art Pasquart, Biel/Bienne, September 19 – November 22, 2020

“France-Lise McGurn (b. 1983) is a Scottish artist, living and working in Glasgow, who paints on canvases as well as directly on walls, floors and the ceilings of exhibition spaces, creating an immersive and mobile experience. In her work she draws on a collected archive of images from films, club flyers and magazines and other platforms for popular culture, as well as her own experiences. These range from life in a city, partying and dreams to motherhood and female sexuality.

The found materials that McGurn collects are usually from past decades and have lost their original, immediate function. She makes drawings on paper loosely based on themes in her archive. Certain motifs that emerge from this become a repeated subject in a work, so that when the artist starts producing a wall painting, she has a bank of gestures, shapes and forms in her memory to source from. Because of this process, she feels she knows the figures and understands their context. The artist likens the viewer’s relationship with her figures to the experience in a club environment, where other people are unfamiliar yet close.” — Kunthaus Centre d’art Pasquart

2020 France-Lise McGurn, Percussia, Simon Lee Gallery, London, Installation view. Courtesy the artist and Simon Lee Gallery. © France-Lise McGurn.
2020 France-Lise McGurn, Percussia, Simon Lee Gallery, London, Installation view. Courtesy the artist and Simon Lee Gallery. © France-Lise McGurn.
2020 France-Lise McGurn, Percussia, Simon Lee Gallery, London, Installation view. Courtesy the artist and Simon Lee Gallery. © France-Lise McGurn.
2020 France-Lise McGurn, Percussia, Simon Lee Gallery, London, Installation view. Courtesy the artist and Simon Lee Gallery. © France-Lise McGurn.
2020 France-Lise McGurn, In Emotia, Tramway Glasgow, UK, Installation view. Courtesy the artist and Simon Lee Gallery. © France-Lise McGurn.
2020 France-Lise McGurn, In Emotia, Tramway Glasgow, UK, Installation view. Courtesy the artist and Simon Lee Gallery. © France-Lise McGurn.
France-Lise McGurn, Earth Girls are easy, 2019. Courtesy the artist and Simon Lee Gallery. © France-Lise McGurn.

Exhibition was curated by Felicity Lunn, director Kunthaus Centre d’art Pasquart.

Images courtesy Kunthaus Centre d’art Pasquart, .