Hayward's paintings are a celebration of hybridity, harmoniously converging art historical and musical references with distinct modes of making. The paintings honour what informs Hayward's personal and artistic narrative - rave culture, abstract expressionism, post-war British landscape painting and his mother's textile collection. Growing up in North London in the 1990s, his formative years were spent skateboarding, listening to music with his older sibling and catching the tail end of the English rave scene.
Hayward explores visually communicate sound, specifically the interconnectedness of repetition in music and pattern in textiles. Repetition and remixing, to borrow from music terminology, are key to the artist's painting process. Often working in pairs, the ‘siblings’ or ‘companions’ create a visual tempo between the two. Here, one light blue and one royal blue ellipse sit side-by-side, as though they were a cropped image in an otherwise repeating, rhythmic pattern. The colour is bright, uplifting, and there is a delight in the various textures of the oil paint, oil pastel and scratched gesso.
"I want these works to make you feel good. To remind you of the beauty and hope of dancing in a field with your friends."
—Haroun Hayward
Haroun Hayward (b. 1983) lives and works in London. Following his MFA from Goldsmiths University and his BA in Fine Art and Painting from Brighton University, he has been included in international exhibitions, including Too Nice, Play It Twice, indigo+madder, London (2021); Drawing Room Biennial, Drawing Room, London (2021); Dance Mania, Wellington Club, London (2020); All the Days and Nights, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London (2020); Gadfly, indigo+madder, London (2019); and While Supplies Last, Mount Analogue, Seattle (2019), amongst others. Hayward is currently an Associate Lecturer in the Fine Art Painting Department at Brighton University.