Viewing M (Michael Chow): Bridges

Get yourself to Mayfair for a look at Michael Chow’s brilliant new show at Waddington Custot, his first UK solo exhibition in nearly 60 years. It includes six large-scale paintings and a selection of zingy works on paper from his ‘One Breath’ series.

What strikes is the sculptural, textural element of Chow’s paintings. In energetic gestures, Chow adds layer upon layer of paint and other found materials — including leaves, eggs, silver and painted plastic sheets — to the surface of the canvas. ‘In collaging, you can put things together that shouldn’t be together, and that’s my life,’ said Chow.
Chow, also known by his signature name M, worked as an artist between 1956 and 1968 before taking the helm of a group of celebrated restaurants in London and the USA. His professional return to painting came in 2011, when Jeffrey Deitch, then Director of MOCA in Los Angeles, discovered his work and encouraged him to pursue it as an artist once more. The drama, vibrancy and energy of these canvases make us grateful that he did.