Territory – Aaron Jolley

Leeds-Based artist and fine art alumnus Aaron Jolley debuts his first solo exhibition of new paintings and drawings at the New Headingley Club in Leeds.

Local artist Aaron Jolley paints the views from his flat. Made with tiny brushes, his highly considered oil paintings, made on blocks of found wood, give a contemporary update to the landscape genre, documenting the backs of houses and other people’s space as much as the changing light and seasons.

Exploring the dynamics of looking and recording, his paintings of neighbouring windows obscured by trees feel akin to the voyeurism of cinema. Jolley utilises drastic crops and compositional techniques that feel reminiscent of photography. An emotive and chromatically-charged use of colour reminds us however of the artist’s involvement in hand-made traditional forms of media, rooted in Post-War British modernist painting and Kitchen-Sink realism.

The exhibition follows the relationship between the artist and his environment, tracing the boundaries of the area around him in fences, thresholds and borders. Recording the spaces in his immediate proximity, the show hopes to not only explore the complicated overlaps of neighbouring lives but capture the surprising moments of natural beauty found in the Woodhouse Community in which he’s based.

A one-day-only event, ‘Territory’ features spoken-word performances by local poets and music from the band Prima Star Power.

Follow Aaron Jolley on Instagram @aaronjolley01

Venue

New Headingley Club
56 St Michael’s Road
Headingley
Leeds LS6 3BG

Image

Aaron Jolley, ‘Watching The Neighbours’, 2023. Oil on Primed Wood, 9.5 cm x 9.5 cm. Courtesy of the artist.