Oliver Hoffmeister
Using a wide range imagery Hoffmeister uses his practice to explore the more absurd moments in life, Creating works that could be seen as ‘oddities’, he wishes to conjure a sense of uncertainty that leaves the viewer in a state of unease. Oliver Hoffmesiter is showing recent animations and cut out paintings that have been made over lockdown. The animations are made from original works on paper, and share an intriguing playfulness displayed in other works. The cut-out paintings have been made in response to the gallery and Bletcher’s work, in an attempt to naughtily disrupt the exhibition.
Since graduating from Newcastle University in 2018, Oliver Hoffmeister has been shortlisted for multiple awards, including ‘The Ingram Collection Young Contemporary Talent Award’, Cello factory, London, UK ; ‘The Middlesborough Art weekender’, MIMA, Middlesborough, UK ; ‘The Graduate Art Prize’, Exchange house, London, UK and is a cofounder of ‘Minutes on Painting’
Mark Bletcher
Mark Bletcher's work depicts subjects of contemporary life and draws on memory and mythology. He is inspired by ‘Modern Magical Realist’ authors such as Murakami and Kafka. Mark Bletcher is showing recent paintings in oil, acrylic and watercolour all made over lockdown. In this new work he has continued to explore reoccurring themes, but the influence of lockdown can be seen in the scale and subject of the work, as well as the influence of novels he has studied over lockdown, namely: Black Dogs by Ian McEwan; and the work of Hikaru Murakami.
Mark Bletcher graduated from Newcastle receiving the Final Year Achievement Prize for outstanding academic achievement. After graduation, Mark was awarded the Gwen May Recent Graduate Award from The Royal Society for Painter-Printmakers and was shortlisted for the Woon Foundation prize and the Contemporary Young Artist Award. He exhibits his work regularly and is a co-founder of ‘Minutes on Painting’
