Andrew Antoniou - A Place Beyond
Grainger Gallery
"The many great gardens of the world, of literature and poetry, of painting and music, of religion and architecture, all make the point as clear as possible: The soul cannot thrive in the absence of a garden. "
Thomas Moore, The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life, 1996
This exhibition delves into this magical subject and how it has shaped the artist's vision . Gardens have been a place where creativity, play, enchantment, work and solace have all been, at different times, players in natures theatre. Once again in the artist's life cancer has refocused his vision towards the questions of death and transformation. Gardens embody this dynamic, the heart of which is regeneration and the changing of the seasons. The garden, with all its beauty and disorder, has once again provided a place of retreat, reflection and comfort.
Gardens have been a powerful metaphor where growth speaks of that beyond the material world. In the garden there is a place that outlives us and continues to grow beyond our time. It is a partnership with nature where one works as equals and can wonder at the changes made together and, at times, can learn from the unexpected designs which nature has kept secret.
These images are gardens that are of the imaginal world that hold strands of memory and observation, familiarity and wonder.
