In G.G.N. Playing Guitar, Richard Moss explores the relationship between stillness and motion through direct observation across time. The work comprises two square panels created over multiple sittings, with Giovanni returning to the same position carefully marked on the studio floor. While the pose remained anchored, each session brought subtle shifts: the flex of fingers on the strings, adjustments in posture, movements of feet balanced on the stools. During these live sessions, playing his 1950s Gibson guitar, Giovanni would perform his acoustic folk repertoire — infusing the studio with rhythm and routine.

Moss’ process layered mark upon mark, drawing on each session’s unique variations. The result is a composition where figure and space coalesce, and presence and memory intertwine. The luminous, fragmentary interior — arranged with plants, furniture, and worn floorboards — becomes both stage and echo for this quiet performance. Through drawing and painting, Moss evokes rhythm, improvisation, and the fragile equilibrium of gesture, inviting viewers to consider how sound, space, and form thread in the fleeting moments of daily life.

Moss draws on the rigour and expressive intensity of Frank Auerbach and Alberto Giacometti’s painted sittings — artists whose practices and stories he greatly admires. Yet, unlike the still, tense atmosphere of their sessions, Moss allows Giovanni to find comfort, constrained only by the fixed position of the stools. The performer’s playing and musical rhythm guide the sittings, creating a relaxed yet focused environment. The result is a highly dynamic, reverberating figurative composition, where the surrounding objects lie in quiet repose against the constant motion of the performer. 

G.G.N. Studio Sessions I and II form a closely related pair within Moss’ exploration of the dynamic relationship between stability and flux. 

Giovanni was one of the first people Moss met upon moving to London 15 years ago. Born in 1943, Giovanni is the owner of Giovanni’s, a hair and beauty salon on Upper Street in Islington that has served the community from the same space for over five decades. A hair dresser to the stars and a self-taught guitarist influenced by the late Wiz Jones, Giovanni has rubbed shoulders with figures such as Bob Dylan and Rod Stewart, and appears in Sophie Ellis-Bexter’s hit music video Murder on the Dancefloor as well as other screen roles. Moss has long been touched by his dignity, kindness, and quiet resolve — qualities that resonate through these works.

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