Darren Almond on Zen, Balance, and His New Paintings at Alfonso Artiaco

British artist Darren Almond (born 1971 in Appley Bridge) presents new works in the exhibition 'In Temple Grounds' at Alfonso Artiaco gallery in Naples. The show marks a shift toward painting while retaining his signature engagement with structure and freedom, arithmetic and organic forms. Almond discusses his use of reflective mineral pigments that change with the viewer's position, inspired by Zen gardens and their manipulation of negative space. He draws parallels between his artistic constraints and the support poles used in Japanese gardens, which enable trees to grow beyond their natural limits. Almond also relates his practice to minimal music by Philip Glass, emphasizing live performance as a meditative experience. The artist reveals that he draws just before sunrise, when he feels most connected to the unknown and the subconscious. The interview, conducted by Diana Gianquitto, explores themes of consciousness, entropy, and the search for existential balance between technology and nature, intellect and instinct.