Over the last 10 years, Christian Hook has become one of the most sought-after artists in the world. With this magnificent new collection of original paintings and limited editions, and the publication of his new commemorative book, he confirms his position as one of the most innovative artistic voices of our time.
"My grandmother, the late Conchita Rocca, was born in Malaga, so I decided to move there for a while to find…something, although I didn’t know what it was I was searching for. What I found was colour…”
"I spent a lot of time listening to music while working on the Neón pieces, and with ‘Electrónica’ it was 'Arnika’s Way-Aera remix' (Jesse Trinidad). The title refers to the symbiotic relationship between electronic music and neon paint and by pairing the two I was able to explore a new way to expand my own visual language.”
Electronica
Canvas on Board Edition of 95
15 x 30”
“I love how a painting ends up being so different from its initial source of inspiration yet always retains something critical in the source’s nature or character…I am left with my faded yet pure notions and impression of the original which I can only attempt to share through paint."
La Idea De Una Cabeza De Caballo
Paper Edition of 49
20x26"
La Idea De Una Cabeza De Caballo
Stretch Canvas Edition of 95
24x32"
“After spending some time with Malaga’s graffiti artist community last year, I decided to look for new ways to work with fluorescent spray paints and experimented with using them as a base. This led me to discover something I had been looking for, a way to capture that impossible glow that emanates from the Spanish sun. From this sprang the idea of the ‘Neon’ collection, which references many of the themes I have explored in my work over the past 10 years.”
The geisha have featured in Christian’s work since 2018, when he spent several months in Japan. This trio of images focuses on the back view and shows the nape of the neck, one of the only areas that is not concealed by the traditional white in order to reinforce the illusion that the geisha is wearing a mask, and for Christian, this epitomises both the elegance and sensuality of his subject. As with all the works in his new neon style, they have been painted in response to a soundtrack of electronic music, and Christian has achieved a distinctive palette with the use of a fluorescent foundation on the aluminium.
In his Shinme series, Christian combines Japan’s ancient indigenous religion of Shinto with her modern culture to offer a contemporary reinterpretation of the art of the sacred horse.
These spectacular mixed media pieces incorporate Japanese calligraphy inks, rag paper stained with different Japanese teas in reference to the tea ceremony, and collage taken from the exquisite kimono designs of Katsumi Yumioka.
Shinme Chapter II – El Caballo Sagrado Shinto, Yuji
Mixed Media Collage on Paper
20 x 15"
This beautiful hardback book includes over 100 images of artworks and previously unseen photographs from Christian’s personal collection. The much-anticipated sequel to ‘La Busqueda’ (‘The Search’), it brings us up to the present day and includes the background to Christian’s celebrated portrait of Dame Judi Dench. which was revealed in a Sky Arts documentary in October 2023.
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