Copper Moss, 2023
Imogen Allen
Imogen Allen is a painter whose work explores the energetic terrain of our conscious and subconscious experience through the physical language of colour, shape and gesture. Her paintings are luminous, meditative portals of reflection, which embrace the physicality of our earth as a pathway to the spiritual, transcendental experience.
Having grown up near Zennor, South West Cornwall, on the edge of a moorland of lichen blanketed standing stones and ethereal grasses, Allen sees the human relationship to wildness, as central to the architecture of our being. Her work is informed deeply by this profound connection to the voices of the natural world; the characteristics of plants, fungi and the elements constantly inform the direction of her paintings. Imogen intends each work to possess its own distinct personality and explore its own painterly terrain, like each organism within the ecosystem. The thread which unifies her work is something ineffable, but can be felt through characteristics of sensitive touch, vivid colour and shifting depth that permeate her canvases.
Allen’s work puts the organic experiential at it's forefront, commanding the physiological reflection of the viewer through the subtle push and pull between the definable and the non-definable. Her works offer questions, not answers, and instead of telling a narrative for us to unpick, they are intended as vessels from which we can feel from.
Notes from Curator
Imogen Allen's new collection of works grounded in nature seamlessly aligns with the theme of our exhibition, "Vibrations on Nature." Through her intricate depictions of lichens, fungi, and flowers, Allen delves into the profound vibrations that connect us to the natural world.
Her work is rooted in the belief that Earth is a symbiotic ecosystem, where humans are both products of and deeply intertwined with the natural forms around us. With luminous hues and a delicate touch, Allen's paintings invite viewers to experience the resonance of this intrinsic unity. Her works move fluidly between sharp focus and soft abstraction, capturing our deep relationship with the wild and the ineffable light that permeates all living things. In "Vibrations on Nature," Allen's piece echoes the rhythmic interplay between humanity and nature, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of the life and light that surrounds us.