Here's the press release for my forthcoming exhibition at The Circle Galley, Cornwall, from 16-30th September.
Tony Wilson writer and artist stands apart - his own man - a breath of fresh air.
Circle are pleased to be presenting Tony Wilson’s new book ‘Wheels Of Society’ and his beautiful visual diaries, watercolour sketches and paintings showing as part of his exhibition TURN TURN TURN which chronicle his daily life. At a time when the idiosyncratic character of an artist is often lost in the flood of media platforms and Arts branding, the writer and artist Tony Wilson stands apart - his own man - a breath of fresh air. It’s actually hard to categorise Wilsons expansive output: he is a painter, maker and writer, but more truthfully a sociologist with interests in philosophy and the plastic arts - in short an old school creative intellectual and economist who, at ninety, has written his second book ‘’The Wheels of Society,” a readable melting pot of informative and erudite musings on why societies fail and Wilson’s thoughts on how to reframe our thinking..... ”we are drifting towards a frightening vision of runaway global warming. We are fouling our own nest. We need urgently to understand how society works.
Circle are very pleased to have the opportunity of showing examples of Tony Wilsons beautiful visual diaries, watercolour sketches and paintings which chronicle his daily life. Tony is a revelatory visual diarist in the mould of artists like William Blake, Frida Kahlo, Charlotte Solomon and singer songwriter Joni Mitchell to name but a few. As well as conventional landscape paintings and roundels depicting pastoral village life. Wilson, in Hockney vein, paints 360 degree panoramas - huge spherical acrylic bands like lampshades hang lopsidedly from the ceiling: this eccentric format illustrates scenes of tony’s home and garden. They are exuberant paeans to ordinary life. We are reminded of Chinese scroll painting but instead of unrolling the parchment to reveal the panoramic narrative we walk around the picture. All work on show are part of Tony Wilson’s personal collection and not for sale. A selection of limited edition art prints of Tony’s diary illustrations will be on sale alongside signed copies of The Wheels of society.
TURN TURN TURN exhibition will be in the upper gallery from
16 - 30 September. Circle are also showing a series of portraits from the celebrity photojournalist Jillian Edelstein. Both exhibitions will run concurrently with the St Endellion book festival 23 - 26 September.
BOOK SIGNING and Q&A SESSION WITH TONY WILSON: Monday 27 September, 2pm Circle Contemporary Gallery
Hawksfield, A39 Cornwall PL27 7LR