About this artwork
This work has been painted onto pages from ‘The Guardian’– the newspaper that Swain buys most regularly. The artist takes inspiration from the juxtaposition of images found in the newspaper to create a surreal landscape. He expands on the shapes and forms that he is particularly drawn to, but tries to impose himself on the work as little as possible and, at the outset, has no idea how it will look when completed. In ‘Unpaired’ an image of orange and white stripes has evolved into a tent, and a section of checked material, which begins in the foreground, is pushed backwards into the distance. The result is a fantastical landscape of shapes and patterns, which is both familiar and alien.
Updated before 2020
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artist:Tony Swain (born 1967) Northern Irish
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title:Unpaired
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date created:2004
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materials:Acrylic on newspaper
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measurements:50.10 x 73.00 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Purchased with funds from the Cecil and Mary Gibson Bequest 2004
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accession number:GMA 4751
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gallery:
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subject:
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glossary:
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artwork photographed by:Antonia Reeve
Tony Swain
Tony Swain
Tony Swain’s paintings use abstract and figurative elements to create landscapes which are surreal but familiar. After choosing to paint on newspaper for economic reasons, Swain began to allow sections of the page to show through the paint, using the printed material as a starting point for his...