In his Norfolk studio, the artist enjoys a refreshing sense of solitude after years spent in close confines of London
In his Norfolk studio, the artist enjoys a refreshing sense of solitude after years spent in close confines of London
Four works feature young Black swimmers, referencing a lack of access for Black people to beaches and pools. In Derek Fordjour’s magnificent Pool Boys (2019), the central figure, diving into the water, is collaged from material that includes newspaper stock market listings. It stands next to Lilo (2018) by Jonathan Wateridge, a white artist who is from Zambia.
Inland Water presents a series of Wateridge’s recent paintings through which the Zambian-born artist provides a glimpse into private and intimate scenes of poolside affluence visually echoing Wateridge’s memories of his suburban upbringing during an era of immense racial and economic inequality in his birth country. While tied to the artist’s own history, the imagery escapes the limits of personal narrative and geographic location as Wateridge’s cinematic compositions establish a familiar and uncanny atmosphere permeating the façade of comfortable leisure.