See Pablo Delgado's Microcosms At Howard Griffin Gallery

By Silvia Baretta Last edited 76 months ago
See Pablo Delgado's Microcosms At Howard Griffin Gallery
Pablo Delgado uses black tape to indicate the place of the painting, which is not actually there
Pablo Delgado uses black tape to indicate the place of the painting, which is not actually there
The white cube seen from the outside
The white cube seen from the outside
Inside of the white cube inside the gallery
Inside of the white cube inside the gallery
Looking inside the white cube
Looking inside the white cube
Sculpture plays with light in the exhibition
Sculpture plays with light in the exhibition
Some of the artworks use light to create unexpected sceneries
Some of the artworks use light to create unexpected sceneries
Pablo Delgado street art (this is not on show in the exhibition)
Pablo Delgado street art (this is not on show in the exhibition)
View from one of the holes
View from one of the holes

The space at Howard Griffin Gallery looks unfinished, like there should be always some kind of work going on. (The gallery was established quite recently; you might remember its previous exhibition of work by French artist Thierry Noir, who famously painted the Berlin Wall.)

The space matches perfectly with the current exhibition dedicated to Mexican street artist Pablo Delgado, who emerged back in 2011 and became famous thanks to his street paintings of tiny street figures, such as on Wall Narrative just off Shoreditch High Street. Although this new show is in a gallery, the artist brilliantly manages to recreate the microcosms you might bump into when walking around the city.

Even Less exhibition explores the relationship between positive and negative space: this concept is connected to the presence of a giant white cube standing in the middle of the upper room, which is a small universe populated with paper characters, paintings, objects and even a fish bowl. The spectator interacts with the artwork naturally, and we marvelled at the complexity of the whole composition.

The ground floor is the space for exploration: orange tape signs on the walls indicate the presence of artworks that are not there, you have to find them inside the white cube. You are urged to look inside it and explore, reimagine the space and discover the microcosmic and surreal scenes that populate the gallery. Dark dominates the room, making the experience even more intense when the artist plays with lights, mirrors and optical illusions. The lower floor exhibits artist's canvases for sale.

Pablo Delgado's works exercise one of the most important functions art should have: the interaction with the spectator. His artworks make you think, they move you with curiosity and willingness to discover. It's remarkable how he managed to adapt his site-specific pieces and recreate his street art inside the closed environment of an art gallery.

Pablo Delgado: Even Less exhibition is on at Howard Griffin Gallery, 189 Shoreditch High St, London E1 6HU, until 8 June. Entry is free. Images are courtesy of to Howard Griffin Gallery, photos by Marcus Peel.

For more exhibitions to see in London this month, check out our May art events listing.

Last Updated 01 November 2017