Sundberg, Mia ; Gooding, Mel ; Whitley, Zoe

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Frank Bowling

Frank Bowling started as a figurative painter but he quickly moved towards larger and ever more complex abstract pieces. Influenced by his interest in the principles of mathematics and symmetry as well as experiments with staining, pouring and layering, his ambitious paintings are known for their distinctive textured surfaces and their colourful, luminous quality. Bowlings paintings embody his ongoing pursuit of change, transformation and renewal. The exhibition this book accompanied takes its title from the painting Traingone (1996). Behind Bowlings titles there is often a story or piece of wordplay linking the artwork to people, places and memories. The story behind Traingone relates to a memory of growing up in Guyana. Near a remote railway station, deep in the forest, where the trains stopped only briefly, there was an isolated hospital for lepers. The resident patients often went to the station to peddle their goods, but frequently they didnt make it before the train was off again and the cry would go up, Train gone! The title also alludes to saxophonist John Coltrane, a.k.a. Trane (1926 1967), whose music was ever-present in Frank Bowlings studio. This book was published in conjunction with his exhibition at Spritmuseum in Stockholm, Sweden.