John Wood and Paul Harrison Contemporary Art Exhibition at von Bartha Basel

This solo exhibition presents a series of new oil paintings and furniture sculptures by the British artist duo John Wood and Paul Harrison. The show explores themes of color, perception, and narrative, characterized by a mix of melancholy and humor, and includes their largest painting to date, 'Some Painted Books'.

In 'Love Songs for Desperados,' British artist duo John Wood and Paul Harrison present a compelling series of oil paintings and furniture-based sculptures that continue their self-referential artistic practice. The exhibition features 'Some Painted Books' (2025), a monumental work composed of 24 panels displaying 690 hand-painted book spines, alongside smaller, standalone works that explore color palettes and incremental degrees. These pieces often feel intentionally incomplete, serving as open-ended invitations for viewer engagement rather than definitive conclusions. The show further extends this logic into three-dimensional space with furniture sculptures—such as a pen-covered school desk and chair—that function as vessels for implied narratives. Interspersed throughout the gallery are the duo's signature neon works, which serve as direct, labels-made-manifest phrases that ground the more subtle paintings. Together, these elements form an inward journey that balances intellectual clarity with a sense of ambiguity, offering a snapshot of the artists' current creative direction.