Adam Hennessey – Smile at New Arts Projects

Snow, rain and January cold versus art galleries and show openings, quite a few East London openings tonight, scattered far and wide once more and it is snowing out there but the year does finally feel like it might be threatening to start in terms of art and galleries – Charlie Smith’s Young Gods, Jose Gomes at TripSpace,  Laura Wilson at Space with her block of stone and her dough and a few more threw opening the doors for their first shows of 2017 last night, as did galleries and spaces in Soho and further afield, Andrew Salgado’s Ten survey exhibition curated by David Liss of the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art opened last night at the Canadian High Commission in Trafalgar Square, as did Unit London’s Avant Arte X thing down Wardour Street,  this is not the time to give in to a bit of snow, apathy and television cannot win tonight, there’s art t oexplore, art excites…

Adam Hennessey – Smile at New Arts Projects

Adam Hennessey – Smile at New Art Projects –  There’s something delightful in here on the walls tonight, it takes a moment or two before the slight feeling of indifference quietly gives way to delight as the potato skins of the bananas reveal themselves amd the smiles demand yours in return. it takes a moment o two to start waring to the pieces, to start to think braving the snow and cold rain might have been worth it after all, it take a few moments for the rooms full of paintings to soak in and engage with you.  I don’t think much of this…. no, hang on, maybe I do?  Actually, I rather like that one, and that one over there, actually this room is making me smile, hang on, now I’ve looked preperly I rather like everything in here. “Which one do you like best?” asks a complete stranger, “I like all of them” I reply.  I love those sheep over there and that slipping eggy smile and what are those numbers about and, yes, I like this show, I like these paintings.  Feels very English in here (don’t know where Adam Hennessey is from, I could bluff it and read the biog, truth is I know nothing about Adam, never heard of him until tonight),  English, joyous, there’s a delightful detail in the brush work once you look beyond the smiles and the sheep and the gulls and the waffles and slight hint of excentric mischief – the paintings look like simple pieces, they’re not, there’s a lor gone in here. Someone metions David Shrigley,  and yes a touch of Paul Nash,  mostly this is just a very enjoyable show, a joyous set of paintings, smiles indeed, and it seems, from the coversations with others, the pieces are causing pretty much everyone to smile, everyone seems to be in agreement, a painting show and a delightful set of painting to smile about, the year is off ot a good start.   (sw)

Adam Hennessey – Smile at New Arts Projects

Smile runs at New Art Projects until March 4th.  New Art Projects is at 6d Sheep Lane, Hackney, London, E8 4QS.  Just behind Broadway Market, not far from the canal.

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