Piers Veness

Img.1 - Piers Veness, Vertical Bands 07, 2021

The abstract geometric work of Piers Veness is centred on the concept of time and our relation to our distant past, drawing on Modernist abstraction and the formal language of ancient monumental architecture

In his abstract paintings, Piers Veness (Portsmouth, 1974) fuses nature and geometry to create monumental forms. Hard-edged shapes give a sense of depth that is heightened by his tonal palette, which moves from black to almost white. Spatiality and presence are key elements in his work, giving a human dimension to the experience of the painting, intensified by the effects of the colours. He also paints site-specific murals, working with the contours and idiosyncrasies of the space to create striking wall-pieces that combine natural and architectonic forms. A fundamental part of his practice is colour. The way that colours interact gives him a sense of visual equilibrium, so much so that to Veness, colour is painting: the act of painting itself cannot exist without colour.

His palette is informed by his travels, especially by the strong light and vibrant colouration of tropical countries in Latin America. Hard-edged blocks of colour respond to the format of the substrate, at times running up to the edge of the canvas, echoing and repeating its line. Fascinated by the possibilities and interactions between colours and their tones, his paintings are often haptic: the trace of the brushstroke or a palette knife on the paintings draws attention to the materiality of the paint itself.

Img.2 - Piers Veness working in his studio, Barcelona, 2010

Img.3 - Piers Veness featured in "The Manchester Contemporary", Manchester, 2019

Recent Exhibitions

Veness received an MA with distinction in Theatre Design at the Slade School of Fine Art, London, and a first-class BA in Fine Art and Drama at University College Northampton.

Recent exhibitions include: The Nomenclature of Colours III, Slade School of Fine Art, London (2025); Píxeles Horizontes, Swiss Embassy, Caracas (2024); En el mismo río, The University of Worcester (2024); New Collection, InCasa Studio, Madrid, 2023; Interludio, GBG Gallery, Caracas (2022); The Manchester Contemporary (2021); Píxeles, InCasa, Madrid (2020); Impartial Iteration, Saturation Point, London (2020);The Manchester Contemporary (2019); Moving These Shapes, Trastero 109, Mallorca (2018);

Abstracción: Atracción, GBG ARTS Gallery, Caracas (2018); Beyond the Surface, Crypt space at St. Marylebone Church, London (2018); Site-specific mural, I'klectik, London (2015); Above and below the waterline, Satellite Show, Miami (2015); Ch.ACO Art Fair, Cecilia Brunson Projects, Chile (2015).

Veness is also the co-director of Square Art Projects, an art gallery that presents contemporary art exhibitions in unique non-gallery spaces on an international level, showcasing the work of early and mid-career artists. Renowned for the quality and innovation of its shows, Square Art Projects creates memorable art experiences in novel settings which bring together viewer and art.

Img.4/5 - Piers Veness "The Truscott Arts Programme", London, 2014