LEO SWERON & JERU KINNAIRD - BITTERSWEET

EXHIBITION DATES: 12/11/22 - 02/12/22

ABOUT

How can the very thing that brings you joy and purpose also be a source of anguish? This is “Bittersweet” – a complex combination of  both pleasure and pain in the same instant.  

Jeru Kinnaird

Jeru Kinnaird is a printmaker and illustrator based in South-West London. Growing up she didn’t like art as it stopped her pursuing her real passion, which was to run… everywhere. However, things changed and now she spends almost all her time drawing, whilst the idea of running is a nightmare.

In 2007, Jeru found a piece of art that would change her way of image making forever. The engraving (by Claude Mellan’s) was made entirely out of one line and was called “Face of Christ”. Maybe this was divine intervention, because it inspired her to start using the technique in her own work. 15 years on and Jeru has honed in on this signature style, by creating vibrant and colourful works that explore nostalgia, memory and her upbringing. Line work always being at the forefront of her images, Jeru has explored and developed the practice by swapping pen for paint. She now layers her one line pieces throughout the work making a more complex collage of illustrations than ever before.

Leo Sweron

Leo Sweron (b.1997, London) is a multi-disciplinary pop artist originating from South-West London. Sweron’s work is a reflection of his age; crisp edges and a flat perspective conceive a digital-like appearance. Through spending the past half-decade perfecting a recognisable style, he uses a diverse visual arsenal of motifs, symbols, and stylistic tendencies.

Sweron gives an insight into his life and those close to him through the different subjects within his work, carefully depicting his desired message. By circulating a range of themes, he aims to create a visual diary of his life as a twenty-something. Exploring multiple aspects of what constitutes daily life; relationships, mental health, trauma, memories, and the mundane.

Melancholy imagery often soaks the canvas; a blank expression composed with a clear juxtaposition serves as the foundation for much of his work. Colour palettes are used similar to the subject, contrasting with dark and light colours to re-emphasise the intention of the piece. Purple is the predominant colour of choice in Sweron’s current work, its deep tone carries a sense of depth and is used to symbolise vulnerability and apprehension. In addition, the canvas is frequently divided and laid out similar to manga or comic panels. When the divides are not used to aid in narrating a story, the break in canvas is there to juxtapose the separate images.