Colour, form, & bold abstraction: PG gallery192

Two new exhibitions from visionary artists Thomas Hancock and Janna van Hasselt explore form and colour – exclusive to view at this leading Christchurch gallery from 18 March to 12 April.

Ōtautahi-based, Janna’s exhibition Flop on Pop at PG gallery192 presents porcelain structures that ooze with tactile exuberance. Woven and flowing ceramic paintings glow from walls while more sculptural, glazed forms slump on floating discs of colour. Defying perfection whilst being carefully orchestrated, her luscious pieces push against the expected confines of ceramics.

Invested in materiality, Janna seamlessly displays the nature of clay as a highly fluid and malleable material, giving each piece a life of its own.

The second of two refreshingly inventive artists, Thomas’ exhibition Mass in Flux is a new series of oil paintings that also leans on this notion. Thomas starts by sculpting plasticine shapes, photographing and digitally manipulating them by applying and adjusting colour. Through painterly techniques, the subject is further dislocated from its original context and the forms evolve into tangled, controlled chaos on the canvas.

“I am creating a figurative painting of something that exists, or has existed, and imbuing it with qualities of something abstract or imagined.” Employing his skills in still-life painting, Thomas accentuates light, colour and surface texture, the forms coming alive with dimples, grooves, and wrinkles.PG gallery192’s large, light, and inviting space enables the viewer to enjoy Janna and Thomas’ interplay and responses to the other’s vibrant compositions.

Find this intriguing exhibition pairing at 192 Bealey Ave.