Shani Rhys James’ most recent paintings will be presented at Connaught Brown. This selection continues her profound dialogue relating to the obsessive qualities inherent in the ownership of objects.
The works that Rhys James will unveil in September further develop these ideas surrounding feminine identity and domesticated spaces—which have been at the root of her professional work for the past twenty years—through the exploration of painted wallpaper. The large painted patterns of flowers and organic ephemera create spaces where the figure becomes almost overwhelmed by her surroundings, fighting the boisterous tendrils of the flora and fauna to be seen. Her works highlight ideas surrounding the art of consumption and attainment, and, how this quest to ‘capture’ objects indeed entraps us all.
Rhys James’ unapologetic application of paint creates a rich topography of impasto that sits firmly within the legacy of British painters currently exhibiting in London this year such as David Hockney and Lucien Freud. She succeeds in bringing the uncanny to the everyday—constructing spaces that feel both familiar and oppressive, domesticated and wild.
Rhys James won the Jerwood painting prize in 2003 and was awarded an M.B.E. in New Years Honours List in 2006. Her work is held in many prestigious collections throughout Great Britain.