In his first solo exhibition at LE Gallery, Painter continues to reinterpret and distort contemporary and historical ornamental art references. In titling the exhibition Anterior, meaning both “before” and “frontal”, Painter alludes to the historical look of his drawings while simultaneously referencing the surface qualities of ornamentation.

Highly detailed work in ink on paper reveals a laborious process of drawing that results in a refreshing and unique collision of elements from different historical periods. Through the drawings we observe a process of searching and exploration for a definition of what constitutes the broad range of contemporary ornament, intersecting with popular culture, science fiction and the world of fashion. Known for his background in drawing, printmaking and digital processes, Painter uses 3D software to plan these intricate works while also adopting the surreal colour palette and tone of early chromolithography prints.

In Crystal Palace Warehouse Painter references the cast-iron and plate-glass building originally erected in Hyde Park, London, England, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. Designed by the landscape architect Joseph Paxton with full-sized, living elm trees enclosed within the central exhibition hall, the Crystal Palace had the appearance of a tremendous greenhouse. Relocated to another area of London and eventually destroyed by fire, the surviving images of the Crystal Palace have a distinct resonance with architects as an innovative and whimsical example of architecture. Painter re-envisions the Crystal Palace with its transparent walls and skeletal structure as a ghostly apparition that pays homage to Paxton’s small-greenhouse-made-big. Painter populates the inside of the building with images of 3D models of plants and trees that he finds online at Google 3D Warehouse and other 3D model reference websites. While Painter represents the Crystal Palace as a bygone spirit in and of itself, the virtual properties of the plants in his work also possess an uncanny element of immateriality.

In Anterior, Painter invokes a sense of restless resurrection through his mysterious image composites and continues to employ his immense technical skill to create highly enigmatic and historically ambiguous works on paper. Painter has exhibited locally, nationally and internationally, and holds an MFA from Concordia University. His work has been featured and/or reviewed in print in publications in Canada , the USA, and Europe.

ANTERIOR

LUKE PAINTER