NEWS - SPRING 2025
Chris with his latest book.
My new book “Chris Orr, Seeings Ways” has goneto press and will be launched Monday March 24th with a show of my paintings andprints with the Jill George at 30 Tottenham Street London W1T 4RJ running toApril 6th. The book published by Unicorn Books is a second volume of the monograph published by the Royal Academy in 2013 and covers my work of the last 12 years. I have written the main text which discusses the generation of my ideas and methods. A series of commentaries have been provided by the art critic Richard Davey that approaches the work from different illuminating tangents.
The book, lavishly produced with full colour reproductions of not only the well known work but many other aspects of the evolution of my ideas. It covers my love affair with the beautiful free process of lithography for which I have travelled to Berlin and Scotland to work in specialist print workshops with master printers. During the chaotic reign of Johnson, I posted on Instagram a daily drawing commenting on the latest twist or turn of events. It may not have contributed to his downfall but I felt as though I was close to events and in the swim of things. Then there was Covid and I worked on a series of satires on such subjects as What Artists did in Lockdown and the Battle of the Books. Travel too provided inspiration and paintings done en pleine air in the Scottish Borders, Vietnam and Japan became very important. Underlying everything is my use of visual narrative. My work has to be read at as well as looked at. Be prepared for surprises, even shocks and of course don’t forget to laugh.
As usual I will be showing at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition which opens to the public on the 17th of June and finishes on 18th of August. In conjunction with the book, I will be having a show at the Zillah Bell Gallery in Thirsk at the end of August and other venues are being planned round the country. Signed copies of “Chris Orr, Seeing Ways” will be available directly from me for £40 including postage and packing or from your local bookshop and the Royal Academy. Please do contact me if you would like to come round to studio and browse my complete collection.
Chris Orr Spring 2025
