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Art works for 'Creative London' exhibited at Space K, Seoul, Gwacheon & Gwangju, 2012

Works for Creative London were selected as a result of research undertaken by leading Korean Contemporary Art Space: Space K. Their remit was to locate UK based painting that had gained high esteem indicators through major London exhibitions, 2010/11. Key’s work was exhibited at the RA show 2010, Mostyn Open, 2011 and also shortlisted for the 2011 Threadneedle Prize for Painting & Sculpture. Creative London toured three venues and was part of the 2012 Gwangju International Biennial. Key’s work was selected from an existing body of work called Museum Of No Fixed Agenda (2010-2011) that was also a solo show at Tarpey Gallery in 2011. The research objective for this body of work was to explore large scale figurative painting within flat abstract fields of color — combining elements of ambiguous narrative and formal content. The working methodology is one of appropriation, drawing in part found images (internet source) and also from the 2008 edition of Peter Beard’s extraordinary book about Colonial game hunting, The End of the Game. Key’s use of historical imagery is transformed through an approach to anthropomorphic transformation within the work. Whilst there is a narrative driver relating to the ambiguity of power relationships, there is also a sense of playfulness in terms of how the figurative elements operate within the formal grounds of the painting. The armature for the paintings in this body of work was developed from The Archaeology of Warren’s and Other Habitats (2009-10), where Key’s research into figurative painting explored increasingly formal and ambiguous spatial relationships. Museum of No Fixed Agenda uses ‘museum’ (orig. Greek) to denote a place set apart for study and the arts. This reflexive approach suggests that the paintings are not only an exploration of potential narrative content and contextual difference; but also of themselves, as paintings/ as artwork.