ArtWorks Project Space
Daemon Sauce is an exhibition of works by Stefano Giordano and Liam Mertens. With ‘Sauce’ also being a homophone of ‘Source’ both Giordano and Mertens draw from disparate ‘Sources’ in a physical and metaphysical sense to create works that stretch the peripheries of what painting can be. Their intuitive studio practices are akin to divination and cooking. Creating objects, often closer to sculpture than image, maintaining a playful respect for the painting tradition, their practices find common ground in drawing from the darkness and absurdity of the everyday. Relying on feeling and intuition for the work to manifest, no ‘Source’ material is off limits. Their process results in wall based works with layers of materiality and meaning at once humorous, dark, contemplative, and both quiet and loud.
Opentimes or by appointment
April 7, Tuesday - Opening night 6:00 - 9:00 por
April 8, Wednesday - Open 3:00 - 7:00 pm
April 9, Thursday - Open 3:00 - 7:00 pm
April 10, Friday - Open 3:00 - 7:00 pm
April 11, Saturday Open Studio Day 12:00 - 6:00 pm
April 12, Sunday - Open 12:00 - 4:00 pm
April 7, Tuesday - Opening night 6:00 - 9:00 por
April 8, Wednesday - Open 3:00 - 7:00 pm
April 9, Thursday - Open 3:00 - 7:00 pm
April 10, Friday - Open 3:00 - 7:00 pm
April 11, Saturday Open Studio Day 12:00 - 6:00 pm
April 12, Sunday - Open 12:00 - 4:00 pm
Cartoons is a series of monumental drawings based on the preparatory tradition of Renaissance cartoons — full-scale works once used to develop frescoes, tapestries, and large decorative compositions.
The project takes contemporary East London as its subject. Its people and everyday presence are placed within a format historically associated with monument, narrative, and grandeur.
The works are also informed by the visual language of William Morris, whose ideas remain closely tied to Walthamstow. Charcoal, with its industrial and slightly mechanical character, is set against delicate floral ornament — continuing Morris’s belief that nature offers a necessary balance to industrial life.
These drawings place a fragile medium into a monumental format, bringing together contemporary life and an inherited artistic tradition.
WHY SEE IT IN PERSON
The project takes contemporary East London as its subject. Its people and everyday presence are placed within a format historically associated with monument, narrative, and grandeur.
The works are also informed by the visual language of William Morris, whose ideas remain closely tied to Walthamstow. Charcoal, with its industrial and slightly mechanical character, is set against delicate floral ornament — continuing Morris’s belief that nature offers a necessary balance to industrial life.
These drawings place a fragile medium into a monumental format, bringing together contemporary life and an inherited artistic tradition.
WHY SEE IT IN PERSON
- These drawings depend on scale. Their size cannot be experienced on a screen.
- Paper changes with light and distance — the works shift as you move through the space.
- The exhibition is temporary — open for one week only.
- These drawings were made in East London and are best seen in the space where they were created.
I enjoy telling a story through my pictures. Sometimes it can become quite an obsessive process - I don't know when to stop! Photomontage has great power. I learnt this from the artists Hannah Höch, John Heartfield and Robert Rauschenberg. Picasso would walk along a short beach collecting driftwood and other materials which he incorporated into the assemblage he created that day. It's great when the choice is made for you. However with today's digital resources the beach is endless! Although I love an image within which one can dwell, those elements need to be appropriate to the tale-telling.
I first made photomontages when I was at school, then developed new techniques at Art School including airbrush photography and painting by hand. For 15 years I created various commissioned works, including, by the late 90s, digital ones. In recent years I have gone back to more painting. I use photographs as reference, and exploring paint is a current fascination. Perhaps next I will try oils, that will be a new new day!
I first made photomontages when I was at school, then developed new techniques at Art School including airbrush photography and painting by hand. For 15 years I created various commissioned works, including, by the late 90s, digital ones. In recent years I have gone back to more painting. I use photographs as reference, and exploring paint is a current fascination. Perhaps next I will try oils, that will be a new new day!