Hang-Up Gallery is hosting Tim Fishlock’s third solo exhibition of bold and bright typographic paintings until April 22nd. As a London-based Goldsmith’s graduate, Fishlock’s work embodies the niche community of vinyl collectors and connoisseurs and he often explores themes of our turbulent relationships with social media and modern technology. Fishlock believes everything that encompasses the complex human experience can be explained by music. Paradise Version dives into a love for record listening and musical archives through his simple and distinct typographic works.
Fishlock is fascinated by language and its translation into artistic pieces. The cut-up technique originally popularized by the Dada movement edits, mixes and chops up words to create a new vocabulary, stretching the capabilities of verbal and written communication to produce a new way for the artist to convey descriptions. Imagine describing your favorite song without using the title. It may seem difficult, but when you start adding made-up adjectives to the mix a whole new world of descriptions comes alive. This is exactly what Fishlock has managed to do by creating a lexicon to evoke and mimic the sound. The pieces which are made in a mixed media of ink, acrylic gouache, screenprint and lacquer on paper are saying as much as possible with as few words as possible. The paintings are simple with a multi-colored, tie-dye-esque background and large, white, sans serif typography. The descriptors are in a list format going down the canvas drawing your attention directly to them. The vocabulary is the center of attention. Stripping down the music to its core descriptive identity allows you to experience a piece of music or a genre in a new way. The interactive exhibit has a QR code next to every piece. Scanning the code brings you to a website with a personal anecdote by Fishlock explaining the experiences and memories behind the music choices. It also includes examples of the genre or piece he is describing in the work. This provides levels of multi-sensory insight into the eclectic subculture of record enthusiasts and the artist’s personal connection to it.
The world of music geeks can be exclusionary, filled with gatekeeping and superiority complexes. This exhibition creates accessibility and encouragement to seek out new musical experiences while also catering to those who are involved in the scene. Through the personalized lens of Fishlock’s youth, the viewer can take a trip through London’s various musical subcultures and reminisce on personal favorites or fall down a rabbit hole of entirely new genres, artists and pieces. Bringing together the familiar and unknown creates an experience that transcends age, background and our normalized notions of language. Paradise Version embodies the great unifier: music.
Paradise Version is running at Hang-Up Gallery from the 25th March 2022 – 29th April 2022
Opening hours are (10am – 6pm, Mon – Fri) by appointment only here: hanguppictures.com
‘Tim Fishlock, Break Downs, 2021’ / Simon Kallas Photography
Reviewed by Mia Goodman – Mia is currently finishing up her Art Direction degree at the University of the Arts London. Coming from an Italian-American background and living in both countries allowed her to explore her interests in traveling, cooking and the arts. Her passion for sustainability has led her to explore the intersectionality between the environment and creative industries.
