Alfie Rouy: Space In-Between
17th March – 22nd April 2022
Duarte Sequeira
Duarte Sequeira Seoul
South Korea
Artist Alfie Rouy and filmmaker Connor Stratton-Darling have joined forces to document the brains and beauty behind Rouy’s auspicious debut solo exhibition, ‘Space In-Between’, at Duarte Sequeira in Seoul, South Korea. Viewers are invited to take a weird and rousing journey with Rouy while he narrates his creative process and the deeper meanings behind the series of paintings.
Taking the works back to their roots, the pair showcase each piece in various landscapes around Rouy’s home county of Kent and where he now resides in Peckham, South East London. Scenes of rolling hills and moody skies bring a new layer of life to Rouy’s work, placing his artwork in unusual settings that break the conventional narrative of a painting’s journey from studio to gallery.
This coming together of two friends is a clever extension of Rouy’s original intentions behind the collection itself. Contorting traditional methods of documenting a painter’s work, Stratton-Darling explores visually stimulating (and at times Kubrick-esque) ways of showcasing Rouy’s works while also capturing Rouy’s goofy side alongside his philosophical narratives. In Rouy’s ‘Space In-Between’ series, each painting intends to encapsulate the current state of existence as seen through the perspective of a human eye and explore the space in-between death and rebirth. Stratton-Darling’s use of the video medium and naturalistic styling lends itself perfectly to Rouy’s thought-process and his hopes to portray a newer more authentic imagery through his paintings that is better suited to our current condition.
Accessibility has always been important to both creators, and as the work is currently being exhibited in South Korea, Rouy wanted to immortalise his works in a way that extends beyond gallery walls while also making his paintings more accessible to a wider audience.
For Stratton-Darling the video project was an opportunity to hone in on his skills of capturing the abstract and macro-narratives and turning them into more tangible storylines that are accessible to any viewer. Their well-matched ideals and unique take on traditional documentary format makes for a playful yet insightful film. ‘Space In-Between’ is a daring and seductive addition to both creators’ growing repertoire, with hopes of ultimately exaggerating the feelings of tranquillity, despair, love and serenity of Rouy’s paintings. The collaboration makes for a cinematic exploration of the world as we know it, the reality we perceive and everything in-between without taking itself too seriously.
Alfie Rouy: Space In-Between opens on the 17th of March until the 22nd of April 2022 at Duarte Sequeira
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©2023 Alfie Rouy
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