Cuckold. Tönnheim Gallery.
“The words themselves – the very material of our discourse which increasingly acquires more and more masks or disguises-” Dennis Potter. We present the new exhibition “Cuckold” by the renowned British artist John Robinson. This is the first time that the space in Madrid shows his work, however for years the gallery has exhibited his work in group exhibitions and international art fairs. The opening will be held on Saturday, March 1 between 11 am and 2:30 pm. And also, this March the gallery is celebrating: we are celebrating one year since we moved our location to Carabanchel.”
cuckold
Noun – Cuckold
A man whose partner cheats on him by having a sexual relationship with another person.
“I am not part of this. I’m in between the images. I have no experience in pornography. When we were kids I saw a porn magazine out of the corner of my eye. I cut it out and cut holes in it. We mutually considered ourselves part of the image. I am trapped in my head and there is no light in my brain. The painting is just a painting and everyone depicted is just oil brush strokes.
Sorry to ruin it for you. The man who appears in the works is me. I always appear to put on the masks and act in front of the camera. We are able to tell our secrets comfortably when we put on masks. These works in the exhibition ‘Cuckold’ at Tonnheim Gallery in are representations of actual performances and masks. I am the unreliable teller of unreliable stories through the unreliable technique of painting.”
John Robinson, February 2025
John Robinson’s technical prowess could place him among the great masters of the 17th and 18th centuries, including artists such as Diego Velázquez and Francisco de Goya, with a focus on self-portraiture reminiscent of Rembrandt or, more recently, Frida Kahlo. However, his figurative works offer a contemporary subversion of this rich tradition of self-portraiture. Somber protagonists dominate his canvases, usually in theatrical situations that barely conceal the prosaic everyday vulnerability. Often, his works are at once absurdly comic and psychologically revealing. Robinson’s process often involves private performances, whose actions are then exquisitely rendered in oil on canvas.
