Varvara Roza Galleries presents ZOT, a new multimedia exhibition by British artist Paul Hodgson, curated by Vassiliki Tzanakou.Hodgson’s debut exhibition with the gallery explores the artist’s studio as a place of testing and experimentation—a space in which images, histories and intentions remain open, provisional and in constant flux.
The title ZOT—Dutch for "fool" or "mad"—comes from Willem de Kooning's black-and-white paintings of the 1940s, in which words, symbols and abstract forms float within loose, energetic compositions. For Hodgson, ZOT points to a way of working that embraces uncertainty, mistakes and change as a productive part of the creative process.
Hodgson moves between three-dimensional objects and two-dimensional images, building temporary structures and spaces inside his studio to test ideas. The three-dimensional objects created and positioned within this staged environment—referred to by the artist as the “sculptor’s studio”—may later stand on their own as finished works. Photographs and images taken from these arrangements become drawings, prints and paintings that reflect and comment on how the works were made.
The exhibition brings together 18 works, working across drawing, painting, photography, digital print and sculpture, Hodgson pays close attention to how each medium unfolds over time. He often reuses fragments from other artists' work, changing them by flipping images, blending text with abstraction, or combining hands-on processes with digital tools. Through this approach, familiar images are broken apart and given new meanings. This can be seen in works such as Untitled (Zot 1), 2024, and Untitled (Zot 3), 2025,where recycled lithographic plates—thin aluminium sheets—are hand-shaped into sculptural compositions. Light and provisional in character, these works recall the compressed gestures of John Chamberlain’s sculptures while maintaining a direct expressive immediacy.
For Hodgson, the studio is not just a place where artworks are made, but a space where ideas can be revisited, altered or even undone. He often builds enclosed structures inside his studio to restage earlier works or rethink moments from art history. In Untitled (Post-war Painting in a Sculptor's Studio 5), 2025, the act of making the work becomes part of what the viewer sees, turning the studio itself into a subject of the piece. "With each 'finished' work, the viewer is presented with something that appears stable and familiar. And yet, the language and tropes of 'fixedness' have been used to deconstruct and destabilize." —Paul Hodgson
Text appears throughout Hodgson's work, often as short statements that feel like instructions or suggestions rather than fixed meanings. In Untitled (To Empty), 2019, words and images build up and break down at the same time, raising questions about whether a clear, individual artistic voice can still exist when the act of making is constantly taken apart. These works question whether; by breaking down the physical and conceptual acts of making, the idea of an authentic and subjective artistic voice can still be sustained—a question that feels particularly timely amid ongoing debates around artificial intelligence, authorship and intention.
Across the exhibition, Hodgson registers the shift from the analogue conditions of the post-war period to the dominance of digital technologies in contemporary culture. His work examines the instability of meaning in an era shaped by uncertainty, misinformation and contested narratives. At a moment when opinion is often presented as fact, ZOT invites viewers to reflect on how images—and identities—are formed, interpreted and believed.
The title ZOT—Dutch for "fool" or "mad"—comes from Willem de Kooning's black-and-white paintings of the 1940s, in which words, symbols and abstract forms float within loose, energetic compositions. For Hodgson, ZOT points to a way of working that embraces uncertainty, mistakes and change as a productive part of the creative process.
Hodgson moves between three-dimensional objects and two-dimensional images, building temporary structures and spaces inside his studio to test ideas. The three-dimensional objects created and positioned within this staged environment—referred to by the artist as the “sculptor’s studio”—may later stand on their own as finished works. Photographs and images taken from these arrangements become drawings, prints and paintings that reflect and comment on how the works were made.
The exhibition brings together 18 works, working across drawing, painting, photography, digital print and sculpture, Hodgson pays close attention to how each medium unfolds over time. He often reuses fragments from other artists' work, changing them by flipping images, blending text with abstraction, or combining hands-on processes with digital tools. Through this approach, familiar images are broken apart and given new meanings. This can be seen in works such as Untitled (Zot 1), 2024, and Untitled (Zot 3), 2025,where recycled lithographic plates—thin aluminium sheets—are hand-shaped into sculptural compositions. Light and provisional in character, these works recall the compressed gestures of John Chamberlain’s sculptures while maintaining a direct expressive immediacy.
For Hodgson, the studio is not just a place where artworks are made, but a space where ideas can be revisited, altered or even undone. He often builds enclosed structures inside his studio to restage earlier works or rethink moments from art history. In Untitled (Post-war Painting in a Sculptor's Studio 5), 2025, the act of making the work becomes part of what the viewer sees, turning the studio itself into a subject of the piece. "With each 'finished' work, the viewer is presented with something that appears stable and familiar. And yet, the language and tropes of 'fixedness' have been used to deconstruct and destabilize." —Paul Hodgson
Text appears throughout Hodgson's work, often as short statements that feel like instructions or suggestions rather than fixed meanings. In Untitled (To Empty), 2019, words and images build up and break down at the same time, raising questions about whether a clear, individual artistic voice can still exist when the act of making is constantly taken apart. These works question whether; by breaking down the physical and conceptual acts of making, the idea of an authentic and subjective artistic voice can still be sustained—a question that feels particularly timely amid ongoing debates around artificial intelligence, authorship and intention.
Across the exhibition, Hodgson registers the shift from the analogue conditions of the post-war period to the dominance of digital technologies in contemporary culture. His work examines the instability of meaning in an era shaped by uncertainty, misinformation and contested narratives. At a moment when opinion is often presented as fact, ZOT invites viewers to reflect on how images—and identities—are formed, interpreted and believed.
