CRISTINA BANBAN Pounds For Bread

2nd – 10th December 2016, Unit G Gallery, London

Cristina BanBan is a painter known for her colourful and figurative work depicting large human bodies and individual's narratives.

Through a complex process of addition and removal, her paintings have become a portrait of the society that she is involved in. Her subjects range from the real street scenes and situations she encounters to her doubts, fears and difficulties. BanBan's paintings explore the struggles and victories of everyday life. One of the most characteristic aspects is the different dimensions that are present within the work; the deliberate plane of the image, elements that appear to float outside of that plane and in places simply the dimension formed by the act of painting and repainting itself. Here the energetic brushstrokes and density of the acrylic depart from formal meaning. Saturated and strongly contrasting colours are distributed instinctively between these different dimensions, compiling all of BanBan’s curious components in one vision.

In 2016, the artist was awarded with the Hackney Wicked Art Prize, recognising her practice among a selection of fellow artists based in the East End. BanBan has exhibited in individual and group exhibitions in London and it is currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

The initial reality of these scenes is distorted by the presence of symbols and motifs that are personal to the artist:

“I find myself exploring the situations and objects that surround me. I observe discarded objects and choose them at will for my paintings before gifting them with flowers as a plain symbol of hope. I like the idea of giving other attributes to an image of decadence, adding a certain aspect of grace or allure.”

'Pounds For Bread' is a solo exhibition by East London artist Cristina BanBan. Working from Mother Studio, the artist was one of the 20 local artists who had been selected by the Gallery to participate in the prize. Cristina was chosen for her style of the painting representing the life of an artist in East London. ‘Pounds For Bread’ is co-curated by Art Elsewhere and is held by Unit G Gallery.

Private preview | Thursday 1st December 2016 6-9pm

Artist talk | Thursday 8th December 2016 6.30 – 8.30pm