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 to access audio and video on collective you need real player.Wall to wall. Keith Tyson is one of those artists whose personality is so engaging that his art becomes more interesting in the shadow of his conversation. Nonetheless, even without explanation, his giant paintings and sculptures force attention. Tyson’s art, like his persona, is big, bold and incredibly diverse.A new retrospective at Haunch Of Venison in London brings together the past 10 years of his Studio Wall Drawings. These large pieces are the dimensions of his small studio wall as a fledgling artist. Originally sketches for ideas, they grew into artworks in their own right. Although much smaller than some of Tyson’s giant canvases, the pieces still overwhelm.  Details from A Broken Back ... Expect classic Tyson. There’s his signature dose of science, mathematics and logical complexity. There are lots of witty epithets written on the paintings that play with ideas about art, life, politics and society. Stylistically, the work is hugely varied from scrawled paintings of grotesque faces to hyperreal pieces of blocks of wood, alongside graphic texts and images blown up from the internet. Each work is dated like a giant visual diary, and it’s interesting to see how moments in time connect the imagery. Some of the pieces – in particular the giant 24-piece on the top floor, which is a layered map of Tyson’s life – are very autobiographical. But Tyson’s take on the personal is intentionally loose. The aim is to encompass the viewer’s own personal history as well as the artist’s.  Details from A Broken Back ... The ideas behind the paintings, rather than how they look, are the things that stay with you here. The pieces are arguably almost too varied, too dissimilar to like in their entirety. But like a box of Cadbury’s Roses there’s guaranteed to be at least one you’re going to like the taste of.
Francesca Gavin
Keith Tyson – Studio Wall Drawings 1997-2007 is at Haunch Of Venison, London, until 05 January 08.
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