Paco Pomet at Smart Idiots Group Show, Hong Kong
Yesterday evening saw the opening of Smart Idiots - the latest group exhibition at WOAW Gallery, Hong Kong, curated by Matias Sanchez.
“Spanish painter Matias Sanchez has only one true passion: painting. The act of painting is the foundation of Sanchez’s artistic practice, beyond style, subject and narrative. For this reason, he has invited friends and colleagues whose work he appreciates for the exhibition at WOAW Gallery. All the artists in the exhibition are about the use of colour, the physicality and sensations of painting.”
A new work by Paco Pomet, titled Infantry, is included in the show.
Paco Pomet | Infantry | Oil on Canvas | 140 x 170 cm | 2022
In WOAW Gallery’s Deeper Dive editorial on the exhibition, writer Marian Ang offers an interesting insight into the paradox of the real / surreal shown in Pomet’s contribution:
“The Spanish artist’s austere hyperreal oil paintings, inspired by his collection of vintage photos from the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, are disrupted by surreal motifs and startling chromatic eruptions. Humour in Pomet’s work is tempered by realism, in particular an attitude of cynical resignation regarding politics and current affairs: “I happen to like realism precisely because I tend to be very observant, even though I’m more critical with reality. [...] A slight misanthropic drift has imbued many of my themes lately, however, a bright and clean humorous streak can appear dressed up in oil paint at any moment!”
The result is a contemporary take on Surrealism reminiscent of the irrational, black humour of his compatriot Salvador Dalí. Pomet’s intrepid soldier vaults over a stretched canvas with one hand in Infantry, illuminated by a neon orange-tipped paintbrush that he brandishes like a rifle over his other shoulder. Infantry thus offers a pithy and provocative contemplation about the “soft power” of art versus traditional coercive or violent means, that can alternately be read as a mock-valorisation of the contemporary artist’s struggles.”
The exhibition marks Pomet’s second showing at WOAW Gallery, having also been included in last summer’s highly successful group exhibition Shape of an Image, curated by Sasha Bogojev.
Smart Idiots runs 15th December 2022 - 9th January 2023 at WOAW Gallery’s Central Location. Be sure to stop by if you are in Hong Kong!
G07, THE GALLERIA, 9 QUEEN’S ROAD CENTRAL, HONG KONG
Opening Hours:
TUE – SAT , 11 AM – 7 PM
-House of Pomet