Paul Simonon

The exhibition chronicles an intense two-year period of activity for the artist and musician, Paul Simonon, first in London during lockdown and then over eighteen months in a remote fishing village in Mallorca. The London paintings were made close to Paul’s studio in Paddington and reflect the empty streets he encountered on his walks.

Often painted at night and lit by street lights, the narrow, terraced houses become intimate stage sets for people’s daily lives evoking the subtle dramas played out behind the curtains, set against the profound stillness that transformed life in London during those months.  Leaving London in the summer of 2020 Simonon travelled to Mallorca intending to focus entirely on his painting and live in isolation. He was lent the use of a room in the fishing village of S’Estaca on the rugged, north coast of the island. With less than ten houses, no shop or bar and one fisherman, the remote location was an ideal spot to concentrate on his work.  He brought his materials and supplies, moving there in October 2020 and staying until the end of the following year painting and carving often late into the night.

Paddington, London

Spring 2020 & Winter 2021/2