Denzil Forrester

Denzil Forrester, as seen in the image below, is an artist who was born in 1956 in Grenada, in the Caribbean and moved to England as a child at the age of ten, in 1967. Achieving a BA degree at the Central School of Art led Denzil Forrester to become one of the only few black artists to achieve an MA in Fine Art at the Royal College of Art in the 80s. 

Denzil Forrester - Itching & Scratching at Spike Island 

Denzil Forrester recently had a solo exhibition at the Spike Island Galleries, it is named Itchin & Scratchin, the work exhibited includes new and old paintings and drawings, the work captures the dancehall energies of the 1980s in London and the clubs in Jamaica in recent times.

"The Spike Island galleries re-open with a major solo exhibition by Truro-based painter Denzil Forrester. Itchin & Scratchin will include new and existing paintings and works on paper that capture the vibrant energy of the dimly lit dancehalls of 1980s London and the present-day open-air clubs of Jamaica. In partnership with Nottingham Contemporary."

source: https://visitbristol.co.uk/whats-on/denzil-forrester-itchin-and-scratchin-at-spike-island-p2823523

I visited Bristol, I went to the Spike Island Galleries and saw the Denzil Forrester solo exhibition. In my own opinion it was absolutely amazing, I am so glad I went to Bristol in the time that this exhibition was on display, it was so beautiful. The colours used are so vibrant and to me they remind me of the nights out I have had in the past, people dancing, bright lights shining on everyone, speakers and DJ'S, it made me feel very nostalgic. I was in awe of the paintings they were on huge canvas's. In my opinion the paintings seem quite abstract in some ways, there are so many different shapes within the paintings they are very interesting and intriguing to look at. 

The above image is of one of the paintings from the exhibition, the title is Itchin & Scratchin (2019) the painting is oil on canvas and this is the text given to describe the image "This exhibition borrows its title from this painting, which was made following Forrester's trip to Kingston, Jamaica, in 2019. Depicting crowd and monumental sound system viewed from above, it returns to a motif that he has explored since his earliest works". 

 

 

 

 

 

Below are some images I have taken of some of the sketches that Denzil Forrester had drawn whilst in the nightclubs, some of which are the sketches before he had transformed them into paintings. It was fascinating to see them before they had been transformed into the beautiful and large paintings that they are, it was interesting to see the contrast, to see them small and not so vibrant. 

 

 

 

 

 

Below are some more images that I have taken using my mobile, these are much more abstract than some of hr paintings I have shown above. I personally can see people dancing and playing drums, I feel I can spot this because I know what Denzil Forrester is expressing as I read the back stories, however I feel that if I were to look at them without knowing I would only see shapes and perhaps not understand them but see the beautiful colours and shapes before realising that they are expressing his culture back in Grenada. 

 

 

 

The images below to me very much describes the scene of a nightclub, everybody facing the DJ and the speakers, the vibrant colours and rays of lights splashing down on the dancers. I feel they capture the movements that is created when people dance and the vibe there is in this kind of atmosphere. 

 

 

 

 

 

To me, these paintings are a clear representation of club culture, the images describe the atmosphere that is within a club scene and they make me feel a sense of reminiscence, I miss being in a club with my friends dancing the night away. 

 

 

 

It was strange visiting galleries at this time, it was empty, apart from myself and my friend the only other visitors that were there were two other ladies. It didn't seem very real being in there, usually galleries to me seem much more full of life. I am very happy I attended this exhibition, I had a very enjoyable experience, I will be keeping an eye out to see if there are any more exhibits being shown here.