Jen Orpin: We Left Nothing Behind

2 Nov-7 Dec 2024

Overview

UNION Gallery is pleased to present our We Left Nothing Behind solo exhibition, by Manchester based painter, Jen Orpin. The artist’s captivating motorway paintings embody memory, travel and the intrinsic connections that shape our journeys. The exhibition showcases Orpin's most recent works, blending the vastness of the UK motorways with the close-ups of sun-drenched highway crossings of Los Angeles. Each piece aims to evoke a sense of introspection, highlighting the emotional journey rather than the physical presence of their location.

In Orpin's work, the active human element is notably absent - cars and people are stripped away, leaving only the motorways, landmarks, and remanence of human presence. The absence of human life accentuates these elements, shifting the focus to the intrinsic beauty of the pathways and their significance in our lives. This intentional removal invites viewers to contemplate the relationship between the landscape and their own experiences. The roads and bridges become metaphorical for the emotions tied to travel and change, allowing the audience to project their memories, aspirations, and reflections onto the environments depicted.

The bridges over the motorway stand as a striking crossroad, captured in these still moments and highlighted by their architectural significance within the urban landscape, they become identifiable landmarks. Framed within the empty motorway, these depictions articulate a role as a transformative connector, symbolising opportunity for change.

Orpin's artistic practice delves into the fundamental connections we forge while traveling. Each journey, whether familiar or new, can resonate deeply within us. In contrast to her UK motorway paintings, a selection of recent works explore the highways of Los Angeles introducing the viewer to sun-soaked roads and their unique landscapes marked by creamy curves and expansive views. Here, brutalism takes a back seat, making way for mid-century modern aesthetics.

Orpin’s paintings serve as meditations on both the act of travel and the idea of absence. By stripping away the human presence, she allows us to engage solely with the landscape while prompting us to reflect on the emotional narratives that travel elicits.