Oliver Beer's Resonance Paintings at Thaddaeus Ropac London

Oliver Beer's exhibition 'The Sky in the Cave' at Thaddaeus Ropac in London (5 June – 31 July) presents his Resonance Paintings from 2026, created by blasting dry pigment on canvas with musical tones. The vibrations arrange the paint into Chladni figures, recording the shapes of hundreds of notes. The works use natural pigments like ochre, charcoal, and manganese oxide, echoing prehistoric cave art. A film and record from Beer's 2024 expedition to Font-de-Gaume cave in Dordogne, where singers including Rufus Wainwright, Mélissa Laveaux, and Michiko Takahashi performed their earliest musical memories, plays continuously in the gallery. The paintings, though appearing gestural from afar, reveal precise, non-human patterns up close, resembling ripples or early AI art. Beer's practice has centered on acoustic resonance since his 2013 performance at Thaddaeus Ropac's Paris Pantin gallery.