An exciting new exhibition of paintings by Angus Pryor and sculptures by William Henry is now showing at the Grange Tower Bridge Hotel, London.

Angus’ work is big and bold and pulls no punches. The paintings hide beneath their lush surfaces a controversial critique of contemporary art practice and the social underbelly. His paintings explore social clichés such as sex, war and relationships as well as the modern penchant for collecting and acquiring material objects. Other subjects include the Garden of Eden and madness in the form of mental anxiety.

In his work, he explores how some artists have embraced the use of manufactured items as art and recycles this notion by reintroducing the items into the fabric and language of painting, combining items such as toys, inflatables and even road-kill with the paint he applies to the canvas. He explains, “These create a tension, as if the work has become infected and these painted pustules are a plague which affects our visual purity of the initial objects”.

William’s sculptures, both musical and domestic, function as the object they represent, but also as a metaphor for the human condition. The work reflects the state a person reaches once their initial condition changes, whether the cause is physical, mental or debilitating. The new sculptures have an aesthetic presence, one of beauty. This relates to how change, evolution or the metamorphosis of an individual can be a positive thing – like the pupae to the butterfly.

“This hotel environment provides an eclectic mix of users whom utilise the space in differing ways, for business, meetings, rest, entertainment and relaxation etc. The art can provide an opportunity for contemplation or discussion; a form of common ground or an ice breaker”.