ASPIRATIONS / 10/10/08 - 02/11/08
DAVID WIGHTMAN
Location: William Angel Gallery, 1 Barry Parade, Peckham Rye, London SE22 0JA

"I believe there is a relationship between abstraction and aspiration.  It is this sense of aspiration that I try to represent with my work."

Originally a Royal College of Art painting graduate, David Wightman's work has achieved artistic maturity, with clear and developed aims apparent in his work.  His process is consuming and meticulous, all sections being hand cut and then painstakingly repainted (sometimes for up to a month) until he is entirely satisfied.

"My work is an attempt to reclaim abstraction on my own terms using a more personal, intimate approach."

Wightman's work consists of minimalist geometric abstractions, which he refers to as 'target' paintings.  Despite working as a painter, his work is not limited to two dimensions; Wightman uses textured wallpaper to give his work a tactile element, allowing it to transcend the limitations of traditional painting.

"I use wallpaper to signify my own background"

For the artist the circular motif, in the tradition of geometric abstraction, is associated with purity, aspiration, and modernity.  However Wightman seeks to personalise abstraction.  Using cheap, readily available wallpaper breaks down the often impenetrable clinical aesthetic of traditional geometric abstraction, and instead imbues it with an emotional connection and a sense of nostalgia.  Wightman's work creates an aesthetic link between working class interiors and the formalist painting of "high art".

Colour, as a primary focus of the works, has taken precedence over variety of compositional elements.  The target motif is a perfect way to explore colour.