SIMON BIRCH: Hooligan

Ben Brown Fine Arts is pleased to announce the inaugural show of Simon Birch, one of Hong Kong's most acclaimed contemporary artists, taking place at its gallery in Central Hong Kong's Pedder Building from 10 April to 15 May 2013.

Best-known for his dramatic figurative paintings, Birch has extended his exploration of the human figure in new works characterized by a distinctive use of textured oil on canvas. The striking female forms in Hooligan bear the imprint of an invisible force, as though someone hurled them through space and punched them into the frame. The belligerent title of the show is the only hint about the identity of the aggressor, underscoring the eruptive violence that pervades Birch's work. We're in a story that's been freeze-framed, but not for long: there is a before to this moment, just as there will be a hereafter.