ANIA HOBSON

”Bird” refers to the recurring presence of birds in the paintings as figures that appear both above the horizon line and within the grounded scenes. Through their placement, Hobson links distinct areas of the pictorial space, blurring the boundaries between figure and ground, foreground and background. The sky, no longer a passive backdrop, becomes an active subject that is mutable, expressive, and central to the emotive power of the works.

In Bird, Ania Hobson continues to expand upon ideas from her previous solo exhibition at SETAREH, Deep-Rooted (2023*) which presented expansive landscapes and the forest as a compositional playground. Trees were treated as living subjects, giving the boldness that Hobson is known for to the paintings and discovering how environment can influence the characterization of figures. Hobson has steadily made the environment an element that carries narrative, story and personality.

Bird is a confrontation of nature with a gaze that beholds its qualities and wonders, from its creatures to its fauna and flora. In Hobson’s works, colors are brightened and saturated to highlight nature’s inward and outward appearance. The effect of nature’s constant interconnectedness is reflected in Hobson’s ability to bounce themes and concepts from one canvas to another in this new exhibition. In Bird, Hobson infuses her works with a new atmosphere, made radiant, sometimes golden and even turbulent, like an ever-changing sky.