Hurvin Anderson: Backdrop

EXHIBITION OVERVIEW

British artist Hurvin Anderson is internationally renowned for his vibrant paintings of urban barbershops and lush Caribbean landscapes. Exploring the intertwined themes of memory and place and often imbued with longing, Anderson's work reflects his own experience with shifting notions of cultural identity. The artist's first major solo exhibition in Canada, Backdrop surveys Anderson's practice in depth, presenting new and recent paintings alongside previously unseen sculptures and photographs in addition to large-scale drawings.

Anderson was born in Birmingham, England, to Jamaican parents. His source material often stems from formative experiences in the local Afro-Caribbean community as well as in Trinidad, where he became intimately familiar with the Caribbean topography and its motifs. Throughout Anderson's compositions, the viewer is held back from the landscape by visual obstacles —vegetation, decorative fences and metal grills — making his scenes appear distant — a reflection, in part, of the artist's own complex reality.

The installation at the AGO is coordinated by Adelina Vlas, the AGO's Associate Curator, Contemporary Art.

Organized by the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis

Hurvin Anderson: Backdrop was curated for the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis by Deputy Director for Exhibitions and Programs / Chief Curator Jeffrey Uslip. Major support for the exhibition has been provided by Iris and Adam Singer, Phoenix; Anonymous; Bridgitt and Bruce Evans, Boston; Alexandra and Guy Halamish, London; Christen Sveaas, Oslo; Jimmy Jamieson, St. Louis; Lisa Schiff, New York; Larry Mathews and Brian Saliman, San Francisco; Thomas Dane Gallery, London; Michael Werner Gallery, New York; and the British Council.