The 'C' Collages

‘The “C” Collages’ are a series of mixed media works on paper from 1990, which are united by their use of a gridded system. Brian Clarke explains the grid in 2019, which recurs throughout much of his work from the 1980s and 1990s:

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‘The “C” Collages’ are a series of mixed media works on paper from 1990, which are united by their use of a gridded system. Brian Clarke explains the grid in 2019, which recurs throughout much of his work from the 1980s and 1990s:

‘Grids have always been a source of pleasure for me, probably because they deliver a reliable basis for art to challenge the idea of the constant. If you begin with order, disruption or even chaos will inevitably follow.’

‘The “C” Collages’ contain fragments of line drawings, gouache, newsprint, painted cut-outs, torn paper, and other elements introduced over or in contrast to the regular matrix. Two works include a pair of 18th century Indian miniatures, from the collection of Clarke's art dealer, Robert Fraser, which break the regularity of the matrix.

This series was exhibited in two parts: at the 1990 exhibition at The Mayor Gallery in London, Into and Out of Architecture, and at the Sezon Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, in Brian Clarke: Architecture and Stained Glass, between 1990 and 1991.

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