Marvin Gaye Chetwynd’s BAT OPERA documents her long-running series of paintings Bat Opera. Produced in the form of a flipbook, it chronicles the majority of the paintings in the series, which Chetwynd began over a decade ago. The paintings – identical size and landscape format – depict bats of diverse shapes and varieties, often within brooding landscapes dotted by architectural follies. They brim with allusions to art history, vintage cinema and theatrical scenery, channelling the eclectic spirit of the artist’s live performances, which are celebrated their similarly motley array of high- and low-brow references.

 

The Bat Opera pictures have featured in numerous exhibitions including Chetwynd’s solo show at Sadie Coles HQ, her survey exhibition at Nottingham Contemporary (2014), Galleria Massimo De Carlo, Milan (2014),The Monteverdi Gallery, Tuscany, Italy (2013), Help! I’m trapped in a Muzuzah Factory, Le Consortium, Dijon (2008), and Millers Terrace, London (2004).

 

This full-colour book gives maximum emphasis to the images themselves – it is entirely empty of text –  allowing viewers an unmediated experience of these sumptuous and atmospheric paintings.