Presented by Ambar Quijano, Future Paradise is James Watkins’ debut solo show in Latin America. Imbued with a reverence for the natural world, his years living in Mexico and the culture of Mesoamerican civilisations– this latest body of work is rich with fauna, flora and fingerprints where seed-spreading hands meet celestial bodies and metaphorical offerings of plenty. These symbols of abundance float in dialogue with bodily elements in constant flux, resulting in visual ecosystems hinting at the interconnected foundations of our reality.

Watkins creates images that invite prolonged examination, imaginative interpretations and discovery. From this perspective, there is a dynamic macro and micro effect when engaging with the paintings that reflect upon the ways in which visual structures and patterns are mirrored throughout nature. Watkins’ approach is at first immediate, intuitive and impulsive, embracing a physicality that remains palpable even upon the image’s resolution. Working primarily from visual memory, he approaches every new painting prioritising a sense of liberation and surprise that only comes for him by letting the painting reveal itself– a call and response process that subdues hesitation and welcomes visual problem solving, exalting action and the joyful experience of colour and movement.

Returning to the same surface over extended periods of time: scraping, sanding, abandoning, adding and subtracting allows the disclosure of subtle variations where the surface develops unique histories and unpredictable interactions. With traces from the past still visible in the present, Watkins exposes previous versions of the paintings and himself, with his work taking on an archaeological attitude, both to the surface of his paintings and his subconscious– perhaps a metaphor for the forgotten stories and sensory information that lies beneath the surface of our everyday states of mind. An approach that acknowledges our intimate links to the rhythms of infinite systems, both internal and external, the comprehension of which lies forever beyond rational thought, in the realm of mystery and sensation.

Presented by Ambar Quijano, Future Paradise is James Watkins’ debut solo show in Latin America. Imbued with a reverence for the natural world, his years living in Mexico and the culture of Mesoamerican civilisations– this latest body of work is rich with fauna, flora and fingerprints where seed-spreading hands meet celestial bodies and metaphorical offerings of plenty. These symbols of abundance float in dialogue with bodily elements in constant flux, resulting in visual ecosystems hinting at the interconnected foundations of our reality.

Watkins creates images that invite prolonged examination, imaginative interpretations and discovery. From this perspective, there is a dynamic macro and micro effect when engaging with the paintings that reflect upon the ways in which visual structures and patterns are mirrored throughout nature. Watkins’ approach is at first immediate, intuitive and impulsive, embracing a physicality that remains palpable even upon the image’s resolution. Working primarily from visual memory, he approaches every new painting prioritising a sense of liberation and surprise that only comes for him by letting the painting reveal itself– a call and response process that subdues hesitation and welcomes visual problem solving, exalting action and the joyful experience of colour and movement.

Returning to the same surface over extended periods of time: scraping, sanding, abandoning, adding and subtracting allows the disclosure of subtle variations where the surface develops unique histories and unpredictable interactions. With traces from the past still visible in the present, Watkins exposes previous versions of the paintings and himself, with his work taking on an archaeological attitude, both to the surface of his paintings and his subconscious– perhaps a metaphor for the forgotten stories and sensory information that lies beneath the surface of our everyday states of mind. An approach that acknowledges our intimate links to the rhythms of infinite systems, both internal and external, the comprehension of which lies forever beyond rational thought, in the realm of mystery and sensation.

Presented by Ambar Quijano, Future Paradise is James Watkins’ debut solo show in Latin America. Imbued with a reverence for the natural world, his years living in Mexico and the culture of Mesoamerican civilisations– this latest body of work is rich with fauna, flora and fingerprints where seed-spreading hands meet celestial bodies and metaphorical offerings of plenty. These symbols of abundance float in dialogue with bodily elements in constant flux, resulting in visual ecosystems hinting at the interconnected foundations of our reality.

Watkins creates images that invite prolonged examination, imaginative interpretations and discovery. From this perspective, there is a dynamic macro and micro effect when engaging with the paintings that reflect upon the ways in which visual structures and patterns are mirrored throughout nature. Watkins’ approach is at first immediate, intuitive and impulsive, embracing a physicality that remains palpable even upon the image’s resolution. Working primarily from visual memory, he approaches every new painting prioritising a sense of liberation and surprise that only comes for him by letting the painting reveal itself– a call and response process that subdues hesitation and welcomes visual problem solving, exalting action and the joyful experience of colour and movement.

Returning to the same surface over extended periods of time: scraping, sanding, abandoning, adding and subtracting allows the disclosure of subtle variations where the surface develops unique histories and unpredictable interactions. With traces from the past still visible in the present, Watkins exposes previous versions of the paintings and himself, with his work taking on an archaeological attitude, both to the surface of his paintings and his subconscious– perhaps a metaphor for the forgotten stories and sensory information that lies beneath the surface of our everyday states of mind. An approach that acknowledges our intimate links to the rhythms of infinite systems, both internal and external, the comprehension of which lies forever beyond rational thought, in the realm of mystery and sensation.

Presented by Ambar Quijano, Future Paradise is James Watkins’ debut solo show in Latin America. Imbued with a reverence for the natural world, his years living in Mexico and the culture of Mesoamerican civilisations– this latest body of work is rich with fauna, flora and fingerprints where seed-spreading hands meet celestial bodies and metaphorical offerings of plenty. These symbols of abundance float in dialogue with bodily elements in constant flux, resulting in visual ecosystems hinting at the interconnected foundations of our reality.

Watkins creates images that invite prolonged examination, imaginative interpretations and discovery. From this perspective, there is a dynamic macro and micro effect when engaging with the paintings that reflect upon the ways in which visual structures and patterns are mirrored throughout nature. Watkins’ approach is at first immediate, intuitive and impulsive, embracing a physicality that remains palpable even upon the image’s resolution. Working primarily from visual memory, he approaches every new painting prioritising a sense of liberation and surprise that only comes for him by letting the painting reveal itself– a call and response process that subdues hesitation and welcomes visual problem solving, exalting action and the joyful experience of colour and movement.

Returning to the same surface over extended periods of time: scraping, sanding, abandoning, adding and subtracting allows the disclosure of subtle variations where the surface develops unique histories and unpredictable interactions. With traces from the past still visible in the present, Watkins exposes previous versions of the paintings and himself, with his work taking on an archaeological attitude, both to the surface of his paintings and his subconscious– perhaps a metaphor for the forgotten stories and sensory information that lies beneath the surface of our everyday states of mind. An approach that acknowledges our intimate links to the rhythms of infinite systems, both internal and external, the comprehension of which lies forever beyond rational thought, in the realm of mystery and sensation.

Presented by Ambar Quijano, Future Paradise is James Watkins’ debut solo show in Latin America. Imbued with a reverence for the natural world, his years living in Mexico and the culture of Mesoamerican civilisations– this latest body of work is rich with fauna, flora and fingerprints where seed-spreading hands meet celestial bodies and metaphorical offerings of plenty. These symbols of abundance float in dialogue with bodily elements in constant flux, resulting in visual ecosystems hinting at the interconnected foundations of our reality.

Watkins creates images that invite prolonged examination, imaginative interpretations and discovery. From this perspective, there is a dynamic macro and micro effect when engaging with the paintings that reflect upon the ways in which visual structures and patterns are mirrored throughout nature. Watkins’ approach is at first immediate, intuitive and impulsive, embracing a physicality that remains palpable even upon the image’s resolution. Working primarily from visual memory, he approaches every new painting prioritising a sense of liberation and surprise that only comes for him by letting the painting reveal itself– a call and response process that subdues hesitation and welcomes visual problem solving, exalting action and the joyful experience of colour and movement.

Returning to the same surface over extended periods of time: scraping, sanding, abandoning, adding and subtracting allows the disclosure of subtle variations where the surface develops unique histories and unpredictable interactions. With traces from the past still visible in the present, Watkins exposes previous versions of the paintings and himself, with his work taking on an archaeological attitude, both to the surface of his paintings and his subconscious– perhaps a metaphor for the forgotten stories and sensory information that lies beneath the surface of our everyday states of mind. An approach that acknowledges our intimate links to the rhythms of infinite systems, both internal and external, the comprehension of which lies forever beyond rational thought, in the realm of mystery and sensation.