Benjamin King paints “a world that has been chewed up and frozen.” Somewhere between abstraction and figuration, King’s landscapes currently on show at Galerie Laroche/Joncas are populated with stubby tree trunks, their branches sticking up like amputated arms. Cartoon-like semi-circular hills transform into clouds, and then, sometimes, all that is left is a composition of abstract shapes, vaguely echoing a hillside.

The muted, wintry palette of King’s monochromes is brought to life by the interplay of opacity and transparency. Wide, fast brushstrokes contrast with watery, wet in wet washes. Thick, opaque paint pours across the canvas, covering sprays of speckle and textured wads of paint.

The artist’s sculptural pieces are equally minimalist and organic. Chunks of concrete sit next to painted river stones, often the small pieces prop up larger ones in a tenuous equilibrium. The relationship of scale as well as the grey and brown colour palette echo the surrounding paintings.

King paints memories. In his studio he recollects the experience of a landscape he has walked through, and then distills it into the essence of that particular place. Says the artist “I am trying to capture that compression of images and sensations retained by the mind. The meaning of the work relies not on one single condition or reading, but on our ability to effortlessly process a confluence of meanings generated by the same piece.”

Galerie Laroche/Joncas, space 410
Benjamin King
You are Leaving
March 31 – April 28, 2012
www.larochejoncas.com