Internal Currents

'Internal Currents' presents a compelling selection of Martha Lamont's recent paintings, each a vibrant exploration inspired by the intriguing realm of sci-fi botany. In these works, fictional flora take shape through a deliberate warping of reality, resulting in a curious visual lexicon. Lamont crafts her otherworldly imagery by distorting and fusing depictions of both healing and toxic plants, setting them adrift in fantastical landscapes where the microscopic seemingly expands to fill macroscopic spaces.

A central motif within this body of work is the concept of 'currents,' evident both in the internal logic of her invented worlds and in her artistic process itself. For the initial layers, Lamont saturates the canvas with water, then introduces fluid acrylics and watercolour pigments, allowing chance and unforeseen interactions to play a vital role. Working with swiftness, she employs techniques like brushing, pouring, and spattering to capture emerging forms as they spontaneously reveal themselves. As recognizable references blur, new and unexpected realities begin to coalesce. Through the subsequent application of oils in varying opacities, Lamont meticulously constructs her intricate worlds, engaging in a dynamic push and pull between the evolving image and the physical surface of the canvas.

Driven by an impulse to transcend conventional dualities, Lamont conjures worlds that embrace 'glitches,' challenging our ingrained perceptions of space and lived experience. Her invitation for viewers to "take off their shoes, step into her imaginary world and play" carries an intriguing ambiguity, hinting at an experience that could be simultaneously welcoming and unsettling, safe yet potentially sinister. This very uncertainty, even for the artist herself, underscores the liminal nature of the spaces she creates.

Intriguingly, this collection of paintings finds further resonance through its titles, each one borrowed from a chapter of Jennifer Higgie’s insightful book, ‘The Other Side: A Journey Into Woman, Art and The Spirit World’. This connection suggests a deeper dialogue between Lamont's visual explorations and Higgie's literary reflections on femininity, artistic expression, and the enigmatic spiritual realm. The exhibition is presented in collaboration with Gertrude.