Post-Fair Paris

For Post-Fair Paris, Roland Ross presents a group of paintings by Nicola Gunnarsson made over the past five years.

Gunnarsson’s paintings begin with fabric. Denim, linen, hessian, mesh and patterned cloth arrive already dyed and worn into meaning. She does not treat them as neutral grounds to be covered. The weave, the dye and the structure underneath remain part of the picture, and often set its terms.

Onto these surfaces she brings the simplest units of abstraction: squares, grids and repeated forms. Alongside them she adds the hardware of dress, such as studs, gemstones and other embellishments. Paint and ornament sit on the cloth rather than over it, and the work holds them in a loose, unresolved relation in which nothing fully separates from its support.

The sources are close to hand: the city and what circulates through it, including films, records, buildings and clothes. These are not depicted. They are passed through painting and come out at an angle, as a faux version of the world they started from. Gunnarsson borrows a phrase from the designer Maryam Nassir Zadeh to name the quality she is after: odd elegance.

Recent exhibitions and presentations include: Raven Row, London (2025) Group; Post-Fair, Los Angeles (2025) Solo;  MIART Milan with Roland Ross (2025) Duo; Roland Ross, Margate (2023) Solo; Brunette Coleman, London (2023) Group; Loveday, London (2022) Solo; Teller.org.uk, Organised by Lawrence Leaman (2022) Group; Royal Academy Schools Degree Show (2022;) Dinner Party Gallery (2021) Duo.