SECUNDINO HERNÁNDEZ

One of the most dynamic painters of his generation, Secundino Hernández is celebrated for a spirited enquiry into the language, history and enduring potential of abstraction. New works made especially for this presentation continue his investigation into the vocabulary of painting—line, form, gesture and colour—and historical classifications of the medium—action and colourfield painting—to create images that, radiating a sense of urgency, explore not only their own process of creation but our responses to a painted surface.

For Hernández, painting is both a physical and cerebral activity, a conduit for intellectual and philosophical enquiry.Whether employing strong linear elements, by turns painterly or calligraphic, or rich bursts of colour, his work corrals diverse influences within a signature abstract language, often collapsing traditional distinctions and hierarchies. In Hernández’s hands, a monochrome might also be an action painting, while an action painting might, on closer inspection, reveal itself to be an almost archaeological excavation of the picture plane.

These latest paintings pivot between spontaneity and improvisation, action and reflection. Foregrounding colour and gesture through a process of partial erasure, the resulting works have a dramatic, exploratory quality and openly display the triumphs and challenges of the artist’s practice. Discussing the tension between calculation and spontaneity in these works, the artist says: ‘When the works succeed, I see a dance between pictorial languages and a balance between something which is very much under control and something else which is accidental.’ The use of the word ‘dance’ is key. Rhythms—variously turbulent, lilting or exuberantly waltzing—impress themselves both within and between the works on view.

Writing about Hernández’s work, Oliver Basciano notes that ‘Within the parameters of his unique process, there is a mad freedom to Hernández’s paintings, one that operates beyond the restraints of authorial control... For the viewer, the artist’s surfaces feel kinship with the turbulent mark-making of a JMW Turner seascape... Hernández’s work evokes the same loss of control as one is submerged into the painted surface, a sublime overwhelming, a surrender to the elements and all the scarring that brings forth.’

About the artist

Secundino Hernández was born in 1975 in Madrid, where he currently lives and works. Solo exhibitions of his work have recently presented at CAC Málaga, Spain (2018); Taidehalli Helsinki, Finland (2018); Yuz Museum, Shanghai (2015); Maison Louis Carré, Bazoches-sur-Guyonne, France (2014); Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna, Austria (2007, 2010, 2014); Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki, Finland (2010, 2014, 2017); Galerie Heinrich Ehrhardt, Madrid, Spain (2006, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2019) and Galerie Bärbel Grässlin (2013, 2016, 2018). The artist has also participated in group shows including Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy, London (2017); Abstract Painting Now, Kunsthalle Krems, Krems, Austria (2017); Das Allerletze Prof. Winkler Stipendium at Kunstverein Weiden, Austria (2013); Alone Together at the Rubell Family Collection / Contemporary Arts Foundation, Miami, USA (2013); Dialogos DKV - Patio Herreriano at Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Espanol, Valladolid, Spain (2013); Berlin Status 1 at Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany (2012) and Berlin Klondyke 2011 at Art Center Los Angeles, USA (2011). His work is in numerous institutional and private collections, including National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, UK; Auckland Art Gallery, New Zealand; Museo Patio Herreriano, Valladolid, Spain; Helga de Alvear Foundation, Cáceres, Spain; The Rubell Family Collection, Miami, USA; Kunstdepot Göschenen, Switzerland and the Art Gallery of Ontario, Canada.

About Victoria Miro on Vortic

Victoria Miro has worked closely with Vortic—a new extended reality (XR) platform for the artworld—since its inception and is one of only two galleries on the app to launch with its London gallery spaces captured photogrammetrically using the latest high-resolution 3D scanning technology. Vortic’s groundbreaking software and rendering techniques, which have never before been used in the industry, enable Victoria Miro to present exhibitions of 2D and 3D works in the very highest quality. The platform provides a sustainable and engaging way of reaching audiences across the world by offering virtual gallery spaces, supported by two integrated virtual and augmented reality apps.