CHROMATIC

ARTIST: Sarah Louise Hawkins
CURATOR: Court Spencer
DATE: Nov - Feb 2025
VENUE: Eye Room, Leeds

Chromatic, a striking solo exhibition by Sarah Louise Hawkins, invites viewers to experience the fluid boundary between painting and sculpture. Hawkins’ work transforms traditional concepts of medium, presenting shaped wooden canvases and geometric constructions that challenge the notion of where a painting ends and an object begins. Her predominantly wall-based pieces use bold color, meticulous patterns, and architectural forms to explore how perception shifts between depth and flatness, object and image.

At the heart of Sarah Louise’s practice is a fascination with spatial and optical perception. Through grid systems, repetitive lines, and vivid colour combinations, she creates intricate surface patterns that engage the viewer in an evolving visual experience. As the viewer moves through the space, the interplay of colour and form appears to shift and transform, offering a dynamic and interactive engagement with each work. These patterns are not static but seem to breathe with movement, continuously altering how they are perceived.

Sarah Louise draws inspiration from the precision of design and the systems of geometry, blending them with the intuitive nature of colour theory. Her works resonate with both mathematical exactitude and an emotional response to colour and form. This balance results in compositions that feel simultaneously deliberate and organic, architectural yet imbued with painterly qualities. The surfaces, vivid hues, and playful illusions invite viewers to pause and reflect on the ways in which art interacts with space and perception.

Chromatic offers an immersive exploration of the potential of abstraction and form. It highlights Sarah Louise’s ability to push the boundaries of material and technique, prompting audiences to consider how art reshapes the spaces we inhabit and the ways we perceive them.