the exhibition
“the perfect, delicate, crucial moment; the fleeting rightness of time and place that creates the opportune atmosphere for action, words, or movement."
yates’ paintings are windows to perfect, delicate, and crucial moments in time experienced in Japan. they reflect and combine the Japanese simplicity and naturalness with the appreciation of the imperfectness found in nature, known as ‘wabi-sabi.’
with careful consideration of the reciprocal marks nature and art can leave on each other, yates has recognized the difficulty of removing nature from the art itself, making it an integral part of his body of work. All paintings in this exhibition show appreciation towards nature and the materials used, amongst others, by purposefully utilizing the surface of the wood as a part of the painting itself.
“I deliberately choose everything that I am painting onto, not just the paint itself. I obtained the wood sustainably from different sources, such as remaining slabs of Hinoki wood used to build the Japanese gates which were given to me. its groove has a fascinating way of presenting itself over the years, leaving a beautiful mark that adds a sense of history to my paintings.”
the foundation for this body of work is made up of memories of his time spent in Japan and is informed by sketches, photographs, and recordings, both written and verbal in nature. combined with recalled experiences, mementos, and photographs, ‘kai•ros’ embodies many of the pristine moments witnessed in Japan.
with the use of a limited colour palette, yates’ paintings are evocative yet candid and intriguing; they present the captured images as less literal, more so asking for the viewers to interpret and question what is in front of them.
