You Remind Me of a Girl I Once Knew Picking Flowers

Artists

Justin Piperger

You Remind Me of a Girl I Once Knew Picking Flowers features a series of paintings by artist Justin Piperger.

Piperger's square, abstractly figurative works offer viewers a glimpse into a unique artistic journey during the lockdown period, where he found solace and inspiration away from his photography work. As Piperger describes, "The paintings emerged in my living room, where I set up palettes on the table and used an easel. Tiddles the cat would occasionally join me, and I'd have to let her out to the garden."

The artist enrolled in an online course with Dilip Sur, whose influence is evident in the paintings. Piperger reflects, "Sur would talk to a small group of us, invoking the spirit of painting with mentions of Rilke’s poetry and Nietzsche’s dreams. I found myself using the canvas to paint the model in a million poses, allowing traces of the model to be present in all these works." The paintings harken back to Piperger's time at Art College, where he embraced the freedom of painting without constraints, allowing stories and memories to emerge.

The exhibition also features works inspired by Piperger's short residency in Kent at an Animal Sanctuary, introduced by his friend Lori. Piperger spent cherished hours drawing animals, capturing their personalities and the sanctuary's welcoming atmosphere. "The animals, rejected by farms and people, are welcomed with open arms. I found inspiration in their stories, sometimes pecked at by rheas, nudged by donkeys," Piperger remarks.

The title of the show, "You Remind Me of a Girl I Once Knew Picking Flowers," is drawn from a Sappho poem. Piperger explains, "I love the fragmentary beauty of this poem, a scrap of thought held wonderfully in mind over two thousand years."