Sue Arrowsmith: Cold Spring
14 February - 15 March 1997
In this exhibition the British artist Sue Arrowsmith is showing recent work, including a group of six foot
square panels as well as smaller works on paper. All of these pieces are comprised of dense sets of parallel line, and all impress us with their rigour while inciting contemplation.
Arrowsmith rules her lines in black ink on a white background, either working from top to bottom or making closely-woven grids. Previous pieces by the artist have evoked the idea of pinstripe fabric, and many referents could be invoked for her current works - from barcodes to city plans and from Piet Mondrian to Agnes Martin. However, the artist sees these new pieces as essentially self-contained.
Arrowsmith works according to a strict system and this especially evident in the new pieces. All of these works carry with them a sense of the artist's physical endurance, and the six foot pieces are larger than anything that she has previously attempted. The system which Arrowsmith has made for herself is also reflected in the title of the show - which suggests a poetic source but is in fact from the brand name of one of her rulers.
Arrowsmith was born in Manchester in 1968, graduated from Goldsmiths in 1990 and had a previous show at Entwistle in 1994.
Entwistle, 6 Cork Street, London W1