HURVIN ANDERSON, “Rootstock,” 2016 (acrylic and oil on canvas). | Courtesy Michael Werner Gallery MORE THAN A DECADE AGO, Hurvin Anderson was staying at a hotel in Montago Bay when he spotted some kids climbing a mango tree through the window. The image brought back vivid memories. The youngest of eight children, all of the artist’s siblings were born in Jamaica, while he was born in Britain. Like so many others, his family migrated to the UK in the 1960s and became ensconced in the African-Caribbean community. Growing up in Birmingham, Anderson recalls his brother constantly climbing trees “scrumping” for apples. Looking out of the hotel window in 2006, the painter was transported to his childhood and saw his brother high up in the thicket of branches. He photographed the moment, which inspired multiple studio drawings and paintings. “Rootstock” and “Cloning,” two large-scale 2016 paintings exploring the image, are on view in his exhibition “Foreign Body” at Michael Werner Gallery in New York. Anderson walked me through the gallery, recounting the story about his brother, how he works through ideas, and how what he sees, upon reflection, may indicate something much more personal or political than what is on […]
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