Star Child

Spotlight on the new SOLO gallery in Madrid, and its connected exhibition

Bowman Hal, the latest addition to SOLO Contemporary in Madrid and the first space to open within SOLO CSV, launches with a striking solo exhibition by Australian artist William Mackinnon. The show marks the debut of this venue, redefining the dynamics of contemporary art in 2025. This spotlight delves into the vision behind the space, its distinctive unveiling concept, and Mackinnon’s layered, metaphorical approach to painting.

Art is a communicative network composed of different channels along which the need to express oneself and progress flows. One of its strengths lies in its lack of sectorial frontiers, in having no beginning or end, but rather in being a continuously dynamic pole — a nervous reticulum made of stimuli, impulses, and branches. Solo Contemporary has embraced this concept from the very beginning and, in 2025, added a new branch to its already diversified reality: SOLO CVS and Bowman Hal in central Madrid.

Taking a step back, Solo Collection started more then a decade ago, when Ana Gervás and David Cantolla decided to open their private contemporary art collection to the public, which now counts over 1,200 works. The couple’s attention and preference for the artistic sector reflect a 360-degree vision; for this reason, the care and management of the exhibition core have been handled with great attention.

The chosen building was renovated and redesigned by architect Juan Herreros, who was also responsible for the aesthetic of SOLO CVS (the newly inaugurated space). In 2018, this first structure received the COAM Architecture Award, establishing itself as an innovative and experimental centre not only for its exhibited content but for its e

“…a nervous reticulum made of stimuli, impulses, and branches.”

Installation view showing Mujer recostada (1995) and Cabeza de mujer (2000) by Juan Barjola.
Installation view, Colección SOLO
Installation view, Colección SOLO

Over the years, the expansion of this reality has materialised through additional projects and structures such as SOLO Castanedo in Cantabria, an artist residency, a future venue in Lisbon, and now SOLO CVS, whose aim is the full support and growth of the artist, as well as fostering ongoing collaborations with cultural institutions on an international level.

What characterises this new offshoot is the multiplicity of concepts reflected not only in theory but also in structural and physical form. On paper, it spans 4,500 square metres, but interaction with the public occurs gradually, in a dynamic and progressive unveiling of the spaces. Like a small Russian matryoshka doll, it offers visitors the continuous discovery of self-contained universes. This dynamic interaction involves and engages the exterior in an active process of knowledge, stimulating the curious and creative side of the individual. It is a true gamble, a methodology never before applied that opens the door to a different exhibition process.

As the first exhibition level, on 6 June the space inaugurated the internal commercial gallery BOWMAN HAL, a name inspired by the synergy between two of Stanley Kubrick’s most iconic characters, embodying the creative interplay between man and machine. This new space, explained Mun Jun Chang, the appointed director, is a living space open to dialogue, where collaboration lies at the heart of every action.

“Painting for me is a way of being in the world, a way of processing what it is to be human,” – W. Mackinnon

Going home, 2024 Acrylic, oil and automotive enamel on linen 198 x 149 cm
Installation view ©Courtesy BowmanHal
The party is over and I thought there was something more to say, 2023 Acrylic, oil and automotive enamel with glitter on linen 160 x 220 cm

Bowman Hal aims to provide full support and development for the featured artist, through exhibition, market positioning, conservation of works, and other aspects. Like a box within a box, the white cube universe initially directs attention to the artist’s works, while still remaining part of a broader universe made up of articulated outer shells.William Mackinnon was the first artistic talent selected for the space’s inauguration. His solo exhibition, ‘Snakes and Ladders’, is open to the public from 6 June until 12 July. The title, with its playful origins, triggers the first mechanism towards his universe made up of metaphors, symbolism, and infinite complexities. William works between Ibiza, London, and Melbourne; he has a well-established and recognised career in Australia, and now, thanks to Solo, he also arrives on European soil.

“Painting for me is a way of being in the world, a way of processing what it is to be human,”
This is how the artist anticipates his creative production: in moments when life is not linear, he puts on canvas the highs and lows, the contrasts, the ruptures, the anti-hero. Each work represents a moment where everyday icons are inserted as game pieces or collage fragments within a dark landscape. Every component is assigned a meaning, becoming a portal of contrasting emotions. Hesitation, the unforeseen, the problem: this is the territory William investigates.

Reality is part of his paintings, but it is a customisable reality: everyone can attribute their own vision to the fragment on the canvas, allowing a role-playing game, an immersion into a dimension familiar to all.
The dynamic element also reveals itself in the painting technique. The artist embraces unpredictability and risk, layering materials, textures, and heterogeneous strata. “When I get into trouble with a painting, it forces me into new territory”.
Through a dynamic and at times violent gesture, he throws colours onto the canvas, lets liquids drip, introduces ruptures, and layers textures and frictions. The aim is to achieve a reality both recognisable and absurd.

Bowman Hall and William have merged into a cohesive collaboration, where challenge and experimentation are the central poles. In September, the gallery will host a new exhibition featuring the artist Aaron Johnson in collaboration with Almine Rech Gallery.
Snakes and Ladders marks the beginning of a future progression, the anticipation of a world where it is better to take the red pill and stay to see how deep the rabbit hole goes.

Camino 4, 2024 Acrylic, oil and automotive enamel on linen 159 x 218 cm
Installation view ©Courtesy Bowman Hal
Snakes and ladders iii / Lost in Ibiza, 2022-2023 Acrylic, oil and automotive enamel on linen 130 x 159 cm
Portrait William Mackinnon ©Courtesy BowmanHal

Star Child / Bowman Hal

Credits:

Artist: William Mackinnon / @william_mackinnon
Exhibition at: Bowman Hal / @bowman_hal_gallery   @solo_contemporary
Gallery Director: Mun-Jung Chang / @m_u_n_j_i
Words: Annalisa Fabbrucci / @annalisa_fabbrucci
Editor: Maria Abramenko  / @mariabramenko

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