Rabbet Gallery presents ‘Empyre’ – an exhibition of recent works by British abstract artist Sam Mills.

‘Empyre’ presents a curated selection of paintings from the last three years of Sam Mills’s practice, in which he continues his exploration into themes of misrepresentation and censorship – a commentary on the abstraction of truth.

The aspirations and costs of Empire – whether historical, personal, or metaphorical – serve as the foundation for these works, as they seek to confront the dualities of ambition and consequence, loss and legacy, power and decay.

Working predominantly on the studio floor with oil paint on both sides of the canvas, Mills’ creative process is characterized by the intentional cutting, defacement, over-painting, reversal and removal of entire sections of visual information. These seemingly destructive acts are coupled with a meticulous restitching process, providing a revealing commentary on the abstract layers of narrative construction. The result is a visual dialogue that encourages the viewer to confront the uncertainties and ambiguities inherent in the narratives we consume.