Natalie Ryde - The Other Other Way - Solo Exhibition

Natalie Ryde | The Other Other Way | Solo Exhibition at Carousel, London with Gas Gallery

Artist Natalie Ryde exhibits a new collection of drawings in the gallery space at Carousel, Marylebone this February. Ryde's drawings appear as abstracted, meshed forms floating over the surface of the paper, sometimes tethered to the edges, often isolated and adrift. Distorted structures within geometric shapes and patterns suggest a visible energy disrupted by an underlying force. Her intricately woven compositions, drawn in coloured archival pen, command close attention and quiet contemplation.

Natalie Ryde employs a free-hand, systemic drawing technique of interwoven lines that is visually resonant of her ancestors' work in the textile industry. Her practice often references the patterns and repetitive actions that are common to human routine and movement. A feeling of time passing and human energy is present in the labour-intensive drawings. The abstracted forms do not offer us instant answers about their origins, instead encourage a more contemplative interpretation.

The Other Other Way alludes to making a deliberate attempt to perform an action in an irregular or opposite manner only to realise that the brain has subconsciously returned to its default process. Other Other also suggests considering an alternative solution to a problem once the binary ideals have proved unsatisfactory. Ryde contemplates divergent forces existing in equilibrium and considers quiet voices and subtle emotions in her compositions.

Following on from her 2015 exhibition The Way which explored the notion that adhering to a set course or system allows one to wander from the path; this new collection of work was produced in a period of experimentation that deliberately sought to expand all aspects of her working methodology. This expansion in process has conversely led to a refinement in both the form and composition of her works.

Ryde's drawings are influenced by geometry, found patterns and organic forms. Her systemic cause and effect drawing process offers a thread that leads us back to the roots of these structures. Shapes and patterns are often broken or incomplete at their source and the process of drawing netted forms in response to these altered guidelines has the effect of mending the original. The repetition of the interwoven lines undulating over the surface and disappearing into voids is captivating and has an almost meditative effect. Step forward and the very human quality of the hand drawn line and minute decision making is clear to see and the drawings appear as a series of moment to moment actions.

Gas Gallery represent the work of International contemporary Artists with a strong focus on drawing and print processes. Based in London, Gas Gallery showcase their Artists' work through Art and Design fairs and exhibitions.