Giardini Colourfall by Ian Davenport – Swatch Pavilion at the Venice Art Biennale 2017

Ian Davenport, Giardini Colourfall; photo © Inexhibit, 2017

Giardini Colourfall by Ian Davenport – Swatch Pavilion at the Venice Art Biennale 2017

Giardini Colourfall is the title of the work made by Ian Davenport at the 2017 edition of the Venice Biennale of Art, after a special commission by Swatch.

Ian Davenport (b. 1966, UK) is internationally renowned for his vibrant abstract paintings. Executed through carefully dripped vertical lines of paint, the final composition is formed by the interaction between gravity and paint viscosity.

Giardini Colourfall for Swatch Faces 2017 at the 57th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia develops Davenport’s most recent body of works. Inspired by the chromatic palette of historical masterpieces from artists including Klimt, Monet, and Perugino, Davenport explores highly saturated hues and tones.

The artwork is composed of a color sequence that is repeated twice.
This structural device gives balance and symmetry across the varying chromatic bands, in a visual mirroring effect. Control and Chance are themes the artist has investigated throughout his career. In Giardini Colourfall this interplay is apparent as poured stripes appear to melt and collect on the floor in thick seductive puddles.

Ian Davenport, Giardini Colourfall, 2017
Acrylic on aluminum panel (wall), 3.8 x 14 meters; acrylic on aluminum plate (floor), 1 x 14 meters.
On view at the Venice Giardini during the 57th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia

Ian Davenport, Giardini Colourfall; photo © Inexhibit, 2017