Momentary Momentum: Animated Drawings at the Parasol Unit – Foundation for Contemporary Art in north London, presents a group show reflecting on and celebrating the use of the drawn image within moving image work.

The exhibition which runs from 3 March until 15 April includes works by a number of acclaimed artists including David Shrigley, Francis Alÿs and previous LAFVA awardee Paul Bush.

Motion in art fascinates us, mostly because it engenders energy, alludes to life, implies the unpredictable, and acts as trigger to a wealth of expressions. The history of motion pictures and animated images is vast, complex and enthralling.

Over time, advances in technology have enabled artists to orchestrate their thoughts and ideas into animated works in ways that would have made yesterday’s artists deeply envious. Indeed, with this new paradigm artists have assumed the power to bring their ideas to life and with no end in sight to what is possible.

Such dramatic changes between past and present resonate equally in the content of the works in this exhibition. The simple, naïve and exalting emotions portrayed in animated folk tales of the past have given way to animated versions of contemporary life, ranging from love stories and poetic narratives to violence, political issues, disjointed stories and countless other flights of the imagination.

The magnitude of creativity in animation reaches a zenith when artists use their most intimate gesture – drawing – to render their thoughts and ideas. The simple economy of a drawn line often belies the power it has to create a myriad of realities in an ever changing universe.

The exhibition Momentary Momentum: Animated Drawings precisely celebrates these transient and magical lines, created with infinite freedom by the artists.

More information on the exhibition can be found on the Parasol Unit website.