Denzil Forrester, Bubbles, 2019

This artists edition work by Denzil Forrester was co-produced by Nottingham Contemporary and Stephen Friedman Gallery on the occasion of the exhibition: Denzil Forrester, Itchin & Scratchin, 2020. 

Denzil Forrester's vibrant, colourful works immortalise the dynamic energy of the London reggae and dub nightclub scene of the early 1980s, a subject that has endured throughout four decades of the artist's practice. Based on an original drawing produced in-situ at a club in East London, ‘Bubbles’ depicts a jostling crowd illuminated by the scattered light of a disco ball. Rendered in bold strokes of black and animated by cool tones of blue, violet and pink, the lithograph was printed in seven colours by Idem in Paris. The studio was formerly the home of historic printer Mourlot, who published many of the twentieth century’s leading European artists.

The scene is framed by a broad window of negative space that emphasises the close-knit community depicted. Discussing the influence of the nightclub on his practice, Forrester noted the importance of moments of meditative tranquillity within these busy scenes: "In these clubs, city life is recreated in essence: sounds, lights, police sirens, bodies pushing and swaying back and forth. It’s a continuation of city life with some spiritual fulfilment. The idea of finding tranquil moments among a complex and cluttered environment is the basic structure for my paintings. The figures and images in my work are crowded together, whereas the spaces in-between echo the music of the 'blues' clubs but are also reminiscent of the light that breaks through a forest, or the light that reflects from a nightclub’s mirrored ball.”

As per the tradition with limited edition works, the price will increase as the edition sells out. All profits made from our artists’ edition range, goes to support Nottingham Contemporary’s free programme of exhibitions, events and learning activities.

Born in Grenada in 1956, Denzil Forrester moved to London in 1967. He now lives and works in Cornwall, UK.

He was awarded the 2021 South Bank Sky Arts Award for his solo show ‘Itchin & Scratchin’, presented at Nottingham Contemporary and Spike Island, Bristol (2020–2021).

Forrester’s works can be found in the collections of Tate, London, UK; Arts Council Collection, UK; Government Art Collection, UK and Harris Museum & Art Gallery, Preston, UK, amongst many others. His work has been exhibited internationally at venues including The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, USA; Tate Britain, London, UK; Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK; Whitechapel Gallery, London, UK; Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK; and Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow, UK.

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