The Bite Down

FRANCE-LISE MCGURN (B. 1983)

The Bite Down

initialed, titled and dated 'The Bite Down FMCG 2019' (on the reverse); inscribed 'smoker. a real heat feeling city' (on the right turning edge); inscribed 'what? me? worry?' (on the left turning edge)

oil and acrylic on canvas

47 1/4 x 47 1/4 inches (120 x 120 cm)

Painted in 2019.

PROVENANCE:

Simon Lee, New York

Acquired from the above by the present owner, 2020

EXHIBITED:

London, Simon Lee Gallery, Percussia, 2020

NOTES:

Born in Glasgow, in 1983, France-Lise McGurn is known for her dynamic, immersive installations that blend paintings, drawing and performance. Her work often features fluid, gestural depictions of figures, exploring themes of sexuality, intimacy and the subconscious. When exhibiting her work, McGurn often spontaneously extends her works beyond their canvases and onto the gallery walls, floors and ceilings, creating environments that allow the viewer to experience her art as a total sensory encounter. 

In The Bite Down, part of McGurn’s Percussia exhibition at Simon Lee Gallery, the artist continues her exploration of corporeal figures and fluid movement, bringing her large-scale, energetic style to the forefront. The work features dynamic, exaggerated depictions of bodies in motion, rendered with McGurn’s characteristic hues and gestural linework. Like the rest of the exhibition, The Bite Down captures the tension between freedom and constraint, with its underlying rhythm, the figure seemingly caught in an ecstatic, fleeting moment.