Paul Wallach: TRUTH THAT – BASTIAN Gallery, London

A review of TRUTH THAT, work by Paul Wallach at the London branch of BASTIAN Gallery. The exhibition’s small scale gives space to wonder: where does painting end and sculpture begin?

Paul Wallach: TRUTH THAT

This week I had the opportunity to visit the latest exhibition at Bastian Gallery, TRUTH THAT. Small in scale, the exhibition was a good chance first and foremost to get to know the work of artist Paul Wallach. Paris-based, this marks Wallach’s UK debut. TRUTH THAT as an exhibition not only surveys Wallach’s take on contemporary sculpture, but plays with ideas of sculpture itself. And time and space, if we are to believe the Bastian Gallery website. Do those claims stand up? Let’s take a closer look and see.

When I say small in scale, Bastian Gallery is essentially two rooms over two floors, with a small office tucked at the back. On Davies Street near Berkeley Square, it has a light and contemporary look. A dozen or so works (also diminutive) are thoughtfully placed throughout the space. I started downstairs, which is perhaps what got me thinking about the nature of sculpture. In this room, the works share certain physical qualities. Have a look at Shades of Naught (2019) above as an example. At first glance, does this look like a sculpture to you? Or a contemporary minimalist painting? Yet look at the shadow it casts. There is more to this than meets the eye. And when you look carefully, peering to see what’s behind, that is when TRUTH THAT truly becomes interesting.

Most of these otherwise two-dimensional works are mounted onto other objects, or have objects otherwise imbedded in them. A lead cast of a piece of fossilised wood, for instance. It’s here that we start to see elements of space and time creep in. Ephemeral images contrasted with sturdy, historic survivors. A two-dimensional work which, viewed from the side, has a whole new dimension to it (literally). For the ideas they embody and their unexpected nature, it was these sculptures disguised as paintings which interested me most.

Final Thoughts

Elsewhere in the exhibition, there are sculptures that are closer to our preconceptions. See, for example, Whencesoever, above. Seemingly precariously balanced in the corner, it still gives a sense of the ephemeral, of a moment in time. But its presence is very different to the works we have discussed so far. Another example is Bercer, Bercé, Berceau (2019). A play on words which connects the words ‘rocking’ and ‘cradle’, it feels like this delicate work is about to tumble, like a slight breeze might carry it away. Seemingly Wallach is a master at freezing a moment in time for us to view and consider.

Overall, there is a nice balance of works on view, and yet the selection is small enough that I am intrigued to know more about Paul Wallach. It has been a while since I visited a commercial gallery (see previous examples here and here, for instance): it’s good to remind myself of the full breadth of London’s art scene and to try out something new. BASTIAN Gallery is not far from Bond Street or Greek Park stations, so can easily be made part of a weekend outing in Central London.

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 3.5/5

TRUTH THAT on until 30 April 2022