Merlin James's Subverted Landscapes at P420 Gallery in Bologna

Merlin James presented eight modestly sized paintings spanning 15 years at P420 Gallery in Bologna from 25 September to 23 December. The exhibition, installed during a brief interlude between lockdowns, featured works that subvert traditional landscape and architectural subjects through subtle material interventions. In "Audience," human hairs protrude from the canvas, while "Coast (2000–2)" incorporates what appears to be a patched repair. James's "transparencies" or "frame paintings" eliminate canvas entirely, exposing wooden stretchers covered with fine polyester mesh. "House and Cloud (2010)" features carved and painted stretcher bars with a mesh overlay depicting a faint house and cloud, and "Buildings (2012)" carves a fantastical structure directly into the frame. The works reference influences including James McNeill Abbott Whistler, Francis Bacon, Serge Charchoune, and Giorgio Morandi. James traveled from Glasgow to Bologna to install the show, which was viewed just before pandemic restrictions forced its closure. His approach treats every component of the canvas as integral to painting's language, diverting attention between subject matter and physical materiality.