Unit 1 Gallery | Workshop, London

28 November – 14 December 2024

More than the ear can hold presents new and recent paintings by London-based artists Ella Belenky and Daniel Pettitt, in dialogue with one another for the first time. The exhibition’s title references a minor poem by American writer, poet and art critic Frank O’Hara on his love for radio, music and painting in which he seeks ‘little reminders of immortal energy’ after a fatiguing week at work. Embracing the role of impulse and intuition in the search for inspiration, the idea of switching between radio stations influences the curatorial approach, as if each painting represents a song on an eclectic and invigorating weekend playlist.

The pairing of Belenky and Pettitt highlights a shared commitment to experimentation beyond categorisation, with both artists forsaking a signature mode or method of painting. While approaches vary across works, there is an underlying tension between revealing and obscuring, communication and illegibility. Disparate elements coalesce into elusive and enigmatic compositions: abstract passages of gestural mark making, hints at figuration, fragments of found imagery or textual and graphic impositions – all blend into what Pettitt describes as ‘provisional fields and partial images’. Taken together, the paintings produce a symphony of vocabularies, techniques, palettes and motifs, more than the ear can hold.

Photography by Paul Tucker

Images courtesy Unit 1 Gallery | Workshop, London