Cynthia Corbett Gallery

London
United Kingdom

Cynthia Corbett   ()
Andrea van den Hoek Mejias   ()

About

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Cristina Schek Diving Upwards, 2022
Cristina Schek is the photosensitive kind. She thinks in pictures; her imagination is always in focus. A Transylvanian Surrealist now rooted in London, Schek crafts conceptual work that explores identity and the nature of representation, with literature, films, and art history as her muses. Her true passion lies in storytelling—venturing into the unknown, layering, and crafting images into creative compositions.

"Everything real begins with the fiction of what could be. Imagination is therefore the most potent force in the Universe. Imagination is 'Diving Upwards'! And you can get better at it. It's the one skill in life that benefits from ignoring what everyone else knows. Over the long term, the future is decided by optimists. To be an optimist you don’t have to ignore the multitude of problems that arise, you just have to 'Dive Upwards' and imagine how much your ability to solve problems improves." Cristina Schek

"In my mind’s eye, I see carefully choreographed women and the sky-high lunar cycle of the Moon being celebrated. For (e)very good reason. The Moon’s gravity stabilises us. This image is an inspirational message; dream big and take chances. More than synchronised swimmers or water ballerinas, it’s Sisyphus rolling with huge stones as big as your troubles. Push giant rocks up the steep incline of life symbolising suffering, heaven forbid heaven bound, because you are strong enough. To wear a Titian-like shade of red swimsuit and bathing cap, a figure hugging skin-tight illusion of being naked, almost. Surely. Rise up, propel yourself high. Believe. Nothing. Nothing is in the way to stop you. We are all capable of being top flyers, diving upwards and flippin’ hell. Being over the moon… The saying “Over the Moon” is used to describe how it feels when feeling extremely pleased and very, very, happy. Skyrocket, soar, fly. The sky isn’t the limit, since man walks on the moon, right? Right! More than a picture-maker, Schek is a visual influencer." Estelle Lovatt FRSA

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Andy Burgess Rubens de Mendonça House, Brazil, 2024
Lauded by Annabel Sampson, Deputy Editor of Tatler as “the next David Hockney” painter Andy Burgess, who hails from London but lives in Arizona, continues to expand upon his fascination with contemporary architecture. A new series of paintings on panel and canvas colourfully re-imagines iconic modernist and contemporary houses. Burgess selects the subjects for his paintings with the discernment of the portrait painter. Buildings are chosen for their clean lines, bold geometric design, and dynamic forms. Burgess approaches his subjects with a fresh eye, simplifying and abstracting forms even further and inventing, somewhat irreverently, new colour schemes that expand the modernist lexicon beyond the minimalist white palette and rigid use of primary colours. Real places are sometimes re-invented, the architecture and design altered and modified, with new furniture and landscaping and a theatrical lighting that invests the painted scene with a dream-like quality and a peaceful and seductive allure.
Burgess explores in depth the genesis of modern architecture in Europe and the US and its relationship to modern art, avant-garde design, and abstract painting. Burgess explains his fascination with modernist architecture thusly:
‘Despite the huge impact of early modern architecture, the innovative and subtle minimalist buildings that I am researching, with their concrete and steel frames, flat roofs, and glass walls, never became the dominant mode of twentieth century building. We have continued to build the vast majority of houses in a traditional and conservative idiom, so that these great examples of modern architecture, designed by the likes of Gropius, Loos and Breuer to name but a few, are still shocking and surprising today in their boldness and modernity, almost a hundred years after they were built.’

Alongside the large-scale paintings, Burgess creates collages which reflect his love of vintage graphics, particularly those from the 1930s–50s, a “golden age” in American graphic design and advertising. Burgess has been collecting vintage American ephemera for many years; this ephemera is then unapologetically deconstructed, cut up into tiny pieces and reconstructed into visual and verbal poems, dazzling multi-coloured pop art pieces, and constructed cityscapes.

Andy Burgess’s latest work combines two of his greatest artistic passions, mid-century and modernist architecture, and collage. In this new series of highly intricate pieces, Burgess has used hand painted paper to construct renditions of his favorite modern architecture. Replacing acrylic paint with gorgeous permanent inks he has introduced another level of textural interest. The ink adds a beautiful translucency and wash-like textures to the surface of the image…. making the finished work somewhat tapestry and mosaic like. The pleasure of these works lies in the complex shapes, the analogue quality of the fabrication and the sparkling crystalline colors. Those familiar with his work will recognize some of the iconic subject matter such as Frank Lloyd Wright’s wonderful Guggenheim Museum and famous Fallingwater residence as well as Los Angeles classics such as The Stahl House and other desert modern masterpieces. But there is an eclectic range of architectural subjects that spans decades and continents in a quest to do justice to the architecture of modern times!

Burgess has completed many important commissions for public and private institutions including Crossrail (London’s largest ever engineering project), Cunard, APL shipping, Mandarin Oriental Hotels, a new medical centre in San Jose, California and most recently, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London.

In 2021 Andy Burgess started creating a series of site-specific artworks for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London. The project, initiated by CW+ – the official charity of the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust – and facilitated by Cynthia Corbett Gallery, which represents Burgess internationally, aims to improve and enhance the NICU environment for patients, relatives and staff.
Working together with the NICU team, Burgess was reminiscing on the hospital’s neighbourhoods and its iconic views, sights and buildings in collaboration with hospital staff. Known for his unique, abstract and colourful style, Andy has transformed selected London scenes into incredible artworks to create a warm and welcoming environment for both parents and staff to enjoy. The display, installed on the 16th June 2022, includes a panorama of London, an image of Albert Bridge and another of a London Underground station. Additionally, Andy produced two smaller scale abstract pieces developed from the colour palettes of his larger works, which were gifted as part of the commission. CW+ also acquired two existing works by Andy for the unit through Cynthia Corbett Gallery.
Burgess’s collectors include the Booker prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro, actor and writer Emma Thompson, the Tisch family in New York, Beth De Woody, Board Member of The Whitney Museum and Richard and Ellen Sandor in Chicago, who have one of the top 100 art collections in America.
In March 2023, Burgess publicated of a new limited edition book of abstract ink on paper collages called Tiger’s Eye in conjunction with an exhibition at Laughlin Mercantile in Tucson, Arizona and the release of four luxurious silk scarf designs based on the collages.

Innovative 'Hybrid' Screenprints: A Fusion of Modernist Architecture and Handcrafted Excellence debuting at British Art Fair
Burgess has a long history of printmaking, having completed postgraduate work at The London College of Printmaking and two residencies at the prestigious Tandem Press in Madison, Wisconsin, where he worked on woodcuts, etchings, and lithographs. Burgess’s prints are held in the collections of The Chazen Museum, Madison MOCA, The Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation, and Delta Airlines, among others.
2024 sees the launch and debut of new 'hybrid' screenprints created by artist Andy Burgess in collaboration with the renowned London printmaking studio 'Jealous', known for their work with internationally acclaimed artists such as David Shrigley and Jake Chapman and collaborations with institutions such as The Tate Gallery and The Victoria and Albert Museum. In recent years, he has been searching for a way to translate his highly sought-after modernist architecture paintings and collages into 'multiples', while preserving the unique handmade quality of each artwork. With the 'hybrid' printmaking technique that Jealous Studio specializes in, this is now possible. Editions are limited to 15 prints of each image.

Andy Burgess is represented internationally by Cynthia Corbett Gallery.

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Deborah Azzopardi Save the Date, 2018
America has Lichtenstein, we have Azzopardi!’ - Estelle Lovatt FRSA

Deborah Azzopardi acquired her worldwide fame for the joyous Pop Art images she has created over the past 39 years. Her unique and feminine take on contemporary art is best described by the esteemed art critic Estelle Lovatt: ‘America has Lichtenstein, we have Azzopardi!’ Lovatt goes on to comment: “Sometimes you just want to curl up under a blanket. With a good book. A piece of chocolate. A man. This is what Deborah Azzopardi’s pictures make me feel like doing. They are me. They remind me of the time I had a red convertible sports car. I had two, actually. And yes, they are you, too. You immediately, automatically, engage with the narrative of Azzopardi’s conversational visual humour. Laughter is the best aphrodisiac, as you know. ... There’s plenty of art historical references from... Manet’s suggestive ‘Olympia’; Boucher’s thought-provoking... ‘Louise O’Murphy’ and Fragonard’s frivolous, knickerless, ‘The Swing’.... Unique in approach, you easily recognise an Azzopardi picture. ... Working simple graphics and toned shading (for depth), the Pop Art line that Azzopardi sketches is different to Lichtenstein’s. Hers is more curvaceous. Feminine.”

The world is familiar with Azzopardi’s artworks, as many of them have been published internationally. Her original paintings, such as the Habitat ‘Dating’ series (2004/08), the iconic ...One Lump Or Two? (2014) and Love Is The Answer(2016), created by the artist at the request of Mitch and Janis Winehouse as a tribute to their daughter, are in great demand.

Deborah Azzopardi was awarded the Young Masters Focus On The Female Art Created During Lockdown Award 2021 for her work ‘Unabashed’.
Deborah Azzopardi is represented internationally by Cynthia Corbett Gallery.

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Klari Reis Tabulate, 2024
Klari Reis has invented her own medium, using epoxy polymer (a form of liquid plastic) with many added ingredients including pure pigment, acrylic and secrets. Reis’s design is almost otherworldly, her colours unique and her patterns inventive. Her artwork is both object and fine art and she is at the forefront of innovative use of art resources.
Klari Reis’ new works are imaginative recreations and curious playful inquiries into our place in the world. The artist proposes new ways
of seeing and understanding our natural environment through painting and sculpture, testing the boundaries of logical systems. By considering the contradictory implications of the word natural and exploring the relationships between the human and non-human, Klari embraces possibility through work that is joyful and hopeful.
Klari Reis is an American artist with a Master of Fine Arts (2004) and an Associate Research Fellowship (2005) from the City and Guilds of London Art School. She lives and works in San Francisco and is represented internationally by Cynthia Corbett Gallery.

Klari Reis is represented internationally by Cynthia Corbett Gallery.

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About the Artist

Framed Archival Pigment Print
64.5 x 54.5 cm
25 1/2 x 21 1/2 in.
Edition of 8 plus 2 artist's proofs (#4/8)

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Cristina Schek is the photosensitive kind. She thinks in pictures; her imagination is always in focus. A Transylvanian Surrealist now rooted in London, Schek crafts conceptual work that explores identity and the nature of representation, with literature, films, and art history as her muses. Her true passion lies in storytelling—venturing into the unknown, layering, and crafting images into creative compositions.

Schek's portfolio is celebrated on a global scale, highlighted by prestigious exhibitions and art fairs such as the London Art Fair, Art Miami, NY Art Fair, LA Art Show. Her notable achievements include Young Masters Focus On The Female Art Created During Lockdown Award 2021 for her work 'Florence Lightingale', receiving recognition at Phillips Auction House with the BFAMI Art Exhibition 2022 and winning the W4 Fourth Plinth with 'The Ceiling In The Sky' monumental 4x4m public art installation in 2023. This prestigious recognition follows in the footsteps of Sir Peter Blake, whose artwork was the inaugural work on display.


Screenprint and archival pigment
70.5 x 84.5 cm
27 3/4 x 33 1/4 in.
Edition of 22 plus 3 artist's proofs (#2/22)

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Andy Burgess is known for his renditions of modernist and mid-century architecture, panoramic cityscape paintings, and elaborate mosaic-like collages made from vintage papers and ephemera collected over many years. Burgess continually expands his artistic vocabulary by mastering various media, more recently immersing himself in photography and printmaking. In 2016, he was invited to Tandem Press, Madison, Wisconsin to collaborate with master printmakers to produce a series of images in limited editions in various media.

Burgess explores in depth the genesis of modern architecture in Europe and the US and its relationship to modern art, avant-garde design and abstract painting. Burgess explains his fascination with modernist architecture thusly:

"Despite the huge impact of early modern architecture, the innovative and subtle minimalist buildings that I am researching, with their concrete and steel frames, flat roofs and glass walls, never became the dominant mode of twentieth century building. We have continued to build the vast majority of houses in a traditional and conservative idiom, so that these great examples of modern architecture, designed by the likes of Gropius, Loos and Breuer to name but a few, are still shocking and surprising today in their boldness and modernity, almost a hundred years after they were built."

By rediscovering and reinventing these architectural gems and bringing them to life again with the brush, Burgess is breathing fresh life into this critical area of modernism and deepening his own exploration of the meeting points between representation and abstraction.

Alongside the large-scale paintings Burgess creates collages which reflect his love of vintage graphics, particularly those from the 1930s -50s, a “golden age” in American graphic design and advertising. Burgess has been collecting vintage American ephemera for many years; this ephemera is then unapologetically deconstructed, cut up into tiny pieces and reconstructed into visual and verbal poems, dazzling multi-coloured pop art pieces, and constructed cityscapes.


Limited Edition Silkscreen Print with Silver Leaf on 410g Somerset SatinTub.
114 x 114 cm
45 x 45 in.
Edition of 15 (#2/15)

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America has Lichtenstein, we have Azzopardi!’ - Estelle Lovatt FRSA

Deborah Azzopardi acquired her worldwide fame for the joyous Pop Art images she has created over the past 39 years. Her unique and feminine take on contemporary art is best described by the esteemed art critic Estelle Lovatt: ‘America has Lichtenstein, we have Azzopardi!’ Lovatt goes on to comment: “Sometimes you just want to curl up under a blanket. With a good book. A piece of chocolate. A man. This is what Deborah Azzopardi’s pictures make me feel like doing. They are me. They remind me of the time I had a red convertible sports car. I had two, actually. And yes, they are you, too. You immediately, automatically, engage with the narrative of Azzopardi’s conversational visual humour. Laughter is the best aphrodisiac, as you know. ... There’s plenty of art historical references from... Manet’s suggestive ‘Olympia’; Boucher’s thought-provoking... ‘Louise O’Murphy’ and Fragonard’s frivolous, knickerless, ‘The Swing’.... Unique in approach, you easily recognise an Azzopardi picture. ... Working simple graphics and toned shading (for depth), the Pop Art line that Azzopardi sketches is different to Lichtenstein’s. Hers is more curvaceous. Feminine.”

The world is familiar with Azzopardi’s artworks, as many of them have been published internationally. Her original paintings, such as the Habitat ‘Dating’ series (2004/08), the iconic ...One Lump Or Two? (2014) and Love Is The Answer(2016), created by the artist at the request of Mitch and Janis Winehouse as a tribute to their daughter, are in great demand.

Deborah Azzopardi was awarded the Young Masters Focus On The Female Art Created During Lockdown Award 2021 for her work ‘Unabashed’.


Ceramic stoneware, mirrored glaze, and metal wire
27.9 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm
11 x 11 x 11 in.

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Klari Reis uses the tools and techniques of science in her creative process, constantly experimenting with new ways to apply materials and methods. She is driven by curiosity and her desire to explore and document the natural and unnatural with a sense of wonder and joy. The artist currently works in San Francisco, close to one of the largest concentrations of life science companies in the world. Klari takes advantage of this proximity to collaborate with local biomedical companies and thus receive inspiration from the cutting edge of biological techniques and discoveries; this context grounds her artwork and lets her authoritatively explore the increasingly fuzzy line between the technological and the natural.

The unifying theme of Klari’s art is her mastery of a new media plastic, epoxy polymer, and the fine control she brings to its reactions with a constantly-expanding variety of dyes and pigments. The UV-resistant plastic, similar to resin, supplies a common framework for the methods and language that she uses to explore and express interactions of material and color on a microscopic level. Compositions display brightly colored smears, bumps and blobs atop aluminum and wood panels. She pigments the plastic with powders, oils, acrylics and industrial dyes, built up through many layers of the ultra-glossy plastic. The shapes and colors bleed, blur, shift, and spread becoming remarkable through their eccentric detail. A skilled technician with a studio for a laboratory, Klari has turned these processes of her own invention into science in the service of her art.

Klari continues to develop her process and explore her unique synthesis of biology and creativity via her installation works, Hypochondria. The projects consist of hand painted petri dishes mounted on the wall at varying distances in groupings of 150, 60, or 30 pieces.

Klari Reis is represented by The Cynthia Corbett Gallery. Her work has been exhibited worldwide and public collections include Microsoft Research in Cambridge, UK; Next World Capital’s offices in San Francisco, Paris, and Brussels; the MEG Centre in Oxford, UK; Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines; The Peninsula Shanghai Hotel; Theo Randall restaurant in London’s Intercontinental Hotel; Standard Life Investments in Bristol and London; Morley Fund Management, The Pullman Group, T.Rowe Price and Great Ormond Street Hospital (Morgan Stanley Clinical Building part of the Mittal Children’s Medical Centre) in London; the Stanford University Medical Center Hoover Pavilion in California; and Elan Pharmaceuticals, Genentech, Acetelion and Cytokinetics in South San Francisco.

Klari’s work has been featured in international publications such as The New York Times, GQ, Wired UK, Nature Chemical Biology, Elle Magazine, Time Out London, Artweek San Francisco, Art in America, Art Ltd. Magazine, Giornale Del Medico, Science Magazine, The Times, The New York Post, The Independent, Evening Standard Magazine, Frieze Magazine, The Financial Times, San Francisco Business Times, BBC1, CNN Business Report and CBS News Market Watch.