'Imitation Sand' by Neil Raitt at Valentin, Paris

A mural on the back wall of the gallery depicts an amethyst desert landscape. Mirroring the language of the paintings on canvas, it is blown up to form a backdrop, similar to the way that a scenic painting provides visual context for a narrative in a play. ‘Imitation Sand’ weaves together a narrative of displacement, romanticism and internal-logic that subverts the domestic element of the paintings which are plucked from the context of decoration and display. Transported through repetition to an abstract world, the paintings become at once enticing and ensnaring. The exhibition forms a fictitious world in which visual devices, such as a mirrored screen, divide the room and reflect the landscapes of the paintings, placing the viewer inside the maze-like nature of the work.