Henry Coombes
Henry Coombes explores hierarchy and power in the family and in wider society. He is particularly interested in the experience of the artist and how he must deal with the machinations of the art world. His work includes painting, collage, drawing and sculpture, but he is best known for his short films: character portraits for which he creates intricate sets that allow him to explore historical themes. The Bedfords (2009) is a brooding re-imagining of the relationship between celebrated Victorian painter Edwin Landseer (1802–1873) and the Duke and Duchess of Bedford.
There is a fluid relationship between Coombes's films and his work in painting and sculpture. He uses materials such as delicate watercolour, rough wood and bare plaster to create objects and images that slip between the naturalistic and the surreal. This unsettles our understanding of their function and role in the world - a sense that is heightened by the fact that the artist uses them in his film productions. Coombes has a peculiarly dark wit, seen throughout his work but perhaps best illustrated in his short, no-budget films, which are made on hand-held cameras.
Henry Coombes was born 1977 in London, and studied at the London International Film …
Henry Coombes explores hierarchy and power in the family and in wider society. He is particularly interested in the experience of the artist and how he must deal with the machinations of the art world. His work includes painting, collage, drawing and sculpture, but he is best known for his short films: character portraits for which he creates intricate sets that allow him to explore historical themes. The Bedfords (2009) is a brooding re-imagining of the relationship between celebrated Victorian painter Edwin Landseer (1802–1873) and the Duke and Duchess of Bedford.
There is a fluid relationship between Coombes's films and his work in painting and sculpture. He uses materials such as delicate watercolour, rough wood and bare plaster to create objects and images that slip between the naturalistic and the surreal. This unsettles our understanding of their function and role in the world - a sense that is heightened by the fact that the artist uses them in his film productions. Coombes has a peculiarly dark wit, seen throughout his work but perhaps best illustrated in his short, no-budget films, which are made on hand-held cameras.
Henry Coombes was born 1977 in London, and studied at the London International Film School and Central Saint Martins before completing his BA at The Glasgow School of Art in 2002. Solo exhibitions include: a presentation at the Sydney Biennale (2014); Man of the Year, CCA, Glasgow (2013); Henry Coombes, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles (2008); Solo Show, Suzie Q Project Space, Zurich (2008); Black Button, Cooper Gallery, Dundee (2007); and Solo Show, Anna Helwing, Los Angeles (2006). He represented Scotland at the 52nd Venice Biennale in 2007. He was nominated for the Jarman Film Award in 2014. He lives and works in Glasgow.
Courtesy of the National Galleries of Scotland.