Ryan Hewett

Unit London is pleased to announce an exclusive preview of new and previously unexhibited works by South African artist Ryan Hewett from 16 – 22 May 2016. Featuring 14 works on canvas, the exhibition will offer an insight into Hewett’s new work ahead of his forthcoming solo show during Frieze Week in October.

Described by British critic Edward Lucie-Smith as “one of South Africa’s most distinguished painters”, Hewett first exhibited in the UK at Unit London in April 2015. The exhibition – Untitled – was a resounding success, selling out weeks ahead of the show’s opening.

Known for his visceral, abstract portraits of iconic figures, Hewett’s interest lies in the exploration of the human psyche and deconstruction of his subject through instinctive and sculptural mark making. For Lucie-Smith, Hewett’s works “appear on the painted surface in the form of extraordinary apparitions, present yet not present. The vigorous marks of the brush reveal them, yet at the same time conceal them.”

His October solo exhibition will mark a shift from iconic portraiture towards a more personal narrative that will document formative moments in the artist's personal life, alongside self-portraiture.

Notable group exhibitions in South Africa include: Changing Faces: Profiling Portraits in South African Art (Barnard Gallery, 2013); Paint Matters (Barnard Gallery, 2014); Surface: Emerging Painters (Barnard Gallery, 2015) and Then & Now: Conversations in Time (Barnard Gallery, 2015). Internationally Hewett has participated in group shows in Berlin, London and San Francisco and his works have been presented at various art fairs including Joburg Art Fair, Cape Town Art Fair, Fountain Art Fair, Chicago, SCOPE Miami and most recently, Art Central Hong Kong.