Louise Hopkins
Hopkins is immersed in a poetic exploration of process and the working methods
that she employs translate readily from painting into print. In her paintings she
often layers onto a pre-formulated ground, trace by trace, interweaving and evolving
a surface material into something entirely new, while retaining the resonance of what
lies beneath. These concerns are the foundation for her new print for Cove Park,
within which there is no application of ink. Instead she has used an embossing
process that creates a delicate and shifting translation of the score for the song
I Wish I Knew How It Feels to be Free. The printing plate was developed from a
lengthy process of scratching and painting applied to an acetate photocopy of
the score, with Hopkins almost completely erasing the reproduction, then
meticulously re-working areas so that it emerges from the page again like a
handmade version. Hopkins is one of six artists representing Scotland at the
2007 Venice Biennial. She exhibited with Andrew Mummery, London in October
2006, and has previously shown work at Santa Angles Gallery, Santa Monica;
Camden Arts Centre, London; Kunsthalle, Bern and Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney. Hopkins is one of six artists to represent Scotland in the 52nd Venice Biennale, 10 June - 2 November 2007