“The artist is particularly moved by the materiality of painting,” was one of the first sentences of the text accompanying Allan Gandhi’s solo debut with Mendes Wood DM in Brussels, and honestly, it came as zero surprise. I first came across the works by the Brazilian artist only a couple of months ago when his paintings were part of a group show at @drostegalerie, and I instantly felt that “oh dear, here we go” spark. The spark where you know you’re looking at something that is so good, so strong, but you can’t fully see or understand why. But once I saw all the close-ups of the works that comprise Room Temperature, it all became very clear.
One glance at these mostly small-scale scenes shows just how much attention is paid to building surfaces, textures, and dynamics between them. I’m gonna try not to go into the whole abstraction vs. figuration thing here, but at moments it certainly feels like #AllanGandhi is more interested in the raw mechanics of painting and the image feels almost secondary. Almost as if the figures are used as an excuse, a structure in which the paint can be added and handled, it’s all about its weight, body, and behavior. However figure-centered, I can’t help but feel that Gandhi’s subject is the material, and the narrative is the very act of painting itself.
Working with (and sometimes against) paint's weight, body, and behavior, Gandhi’s paintings are filled w a variety of ways in which different layers interact. From watered-out passages barely covering the layers beneath to occasional impasto crescendos and a whole spectrum of in-betweens, these paintings are an absolute joy to explore up close. At some level, beyond their representational sphere, they’re rich painterly landscapes through which the viewer’s eye is hiking. The eye might encounter swelling, mushy color fields, or perched, chalky passages. There are sections that look dabbed by a blush sponge alongside mark-heavy layers. Also, there is a constant clash of the deep satin luster of oil paint against the distinctly matte finish of oil sticks. Beyond surfaces, a whole range of gestures, from fervid strokes to fluid, twirling feats, adds almost illustrative value to the images. Finally, and very importantly, a full range of subdued, pastel colors keeps each work feeling compact and in harmony. But, however varied and exciting on the individual, micro-level they might be, the blurred images are oozing w a contagious, soothing, Room Temperature mellowness. —Saša Bogojev
Published on
