Gateways signalled the definitive move from figurative to abstract work in Marcus Hodge's established career. Many of the symbolic paintings were inspired by a further trip to India and time spent in Mumbai. It was there that the monument of The Gateway of India left an indelible mark and so became a starting point for the series of paintings as well as a metaphor for the stylistic change taking place. Paintings became complete, not when nothing else needed to be added, but rather when nothing needed to be removed.
This new direction allowed for a visceral approach giving material greater expression, unencumbered by representation. Different tools such as large spatulas, knives, and lengths of wood were used to introduce the elemnts of risk, chance and opportunity. With a more restrained economy of means, the paintings were less about finish as about the process - a process of not knowing, one that may reveal something you weren't looking for. The picture finds itself in the mysterious and compelling process of being painted.