Machines for Living In: Art by the Square Foot

Artist Rod Kitson's first solo show, "Machines for Living In: Art by the Square Foot." The exhibition features 190 paintings replicating Rod's live-in studio space in Southwark, London Docklands by the square foot. (See show and exhibition details on the website: https://www.rodkitson.art/ ) 

The show is being held inside a vacant shop being used as a pop-up gallery. Each of the 190 individual paintings reproduces one square-foot as it appeared when he painted it, and will be sold relative to the construction costs of a square foot of the property in Southwark, blurring the boundaries between art and architecture.  

The square-foot oil paintings include a 35-piece reproduction of a Persian rug, a house plant, an Apple charger, and part of a female visitor, evoking the atmosphere of his live-in work-space. Each ‘tile’ took an average of four hours to paint.

The show at Surrey Quays shopping centre also has an interactive element. The artist is inviting visitors to create their own square-foot paintings to be part of the exhibition which will be available for purchase at the same price as his work. Rod is the 2017 winner of the Public Favourite vote for his oil paintings ‘Two Brothers from Camberwell’ in the Painting Open competition run by Second Floor Studio & Arts, part of Anthology Deptford Foundry.  

The exhibition runs from July 18 to Aug 1, 11am–7pm daily. (11pm–3pm, July 22/23)  (Private View: July 11, 11am to 7pm)