Nicholas Middleton 'Black & White Paintings' 

Open Thurs - Sat 10:00am to 5:00pm

Nicholas Middleton's current practice is primarily concerned with photographically based paintings. These vary from pieces which are based on what are essentially snapshots, straightforward images translated into paint like 'Demolished House' and 'Entrance To Communal Living', to paintings of planned and constructed tableaux, which often incorporate numerous photographs into a single painted image, such as 'The Movement of Goods and Services', 'Projection' and 'Scene In A Museum'. The paintings have developed what he describes as an 'expanded' documentary form: a naturalist mode of representation with narrative intentions, drawing on influences from both the history of Western painting and documentary photography. Within these paintings several strands of interlocking concerns have emerged, which could be broadly defined as: documenting aspects of civic life and urbanism; the reflection of individuals in an absoptive moment, interacting with their environments; how we negotiate our living in different cities. Underlying these concerns is an awareness of the subtle influences that history plays on our everyday lives.