You can tell it is autumn when, not only does the temperature change and the nights become darker, but London galleries, some of which have been closed for the summer, start their new series of shows.  One of the first is PACE in Burlington Gardens with American artist Loie Hollowell’s ‘Dominant/Recessive’ which opened today.

Hollowell’s beautiful paintings which have a slightly curved background have a ying and a yang feel to them as they explore themes of sexuality, conception and being a woman in the 21st century through her mirrored abstract forms, derived from the idealised shape of a woman’s body and religious iconography from many different religions related to different aspects of conception and giving birth.  As if to emphasise the link with conception, the gallery’s white walls and white-shrouded windows create a womb-like atmosphere in which Hollowell’s paintings stand out with their vibrant colours and geometric shapes, while her 22 smaller drawings, which have a direct relationship with the paintings are hung in a smaller womb within the womb.