Luc Tuymans, Interior Nr. III (2010). Via Zeno-X Gallery
Currently on view at Zeno X Gallery in Antwerp is The Twenty Seventh of January Two Thousand and Eleven by Belgian artist Luc Tuymans. The artist’s fourteenth solo show at the Antwerp gallery, the artist’s new works explore the use of light as a claustrophobic element in indoor intimate domestic spaces.
More text and images after the jump…
Luc Tuymans, Interior Nr. II (2010) Via. Zeno-X Gallery
Luc Tuymans, 4AM. Via Zeno-X Gallery
The seven paintings displayed were conceived as a group of works in particular relationship to the gallery space where they are exhibited for the first time. Through these private depictions Tuymans depicts as well the effects of commercialization on our everyday lives.
Luc Tuymans, Driver (2010). Via Zeno-X Gallery
In Driver, a figure which appears to be a truck driver sits alone in the corner of a room clutching his steering wheel. The lack of light in addition to the man’s dark attire makes him almost anonymous. Publicity (2010) was derived from the image of a publicity paper referring specifically to the kind which is pushed through one’s mailbox. The products depicted in Tuymans’s painting are mostly blotted out with black marker in order to render them almost interchangeable.
Luc Tuymans, Publicity (2010). Via Zeno-X Gallery
Luc Tuymans, In the End You’re Just Dad (2010) Via Zeno-X Gallery
In the End You’re Just Dad was derived from an advertisement for an insurance company which Tuymans found on YouTube. The video clip shows a family in an idyllic setting, before the camera zooms in on a man’s wholesome smile, a caption reading, “In the End You’re Just Dad.” The image transmits an intimate reassurance emphasizing visually the power of contemporary advertising.
Installation View. Via Zeno X Gallery
Three works consist of interior scenes and although they work together thematically, each depiction consists of differing elements in the space. Painting techniques such as tone, framing and application of paint become the most important elements in the series. The works likewise mirror traditions of Dutch domestic interior painting with depictions of canopies and sharp angles of furniture. These latest works by Tuymans emphasize the notion of the interior and how the intimate spaces we often don’t see greatly shape our lives.
Installation View. Via Zeno X Gallery
Installation View. Via Zeno X Gallery
-R.A. Proctor
Related Links:
Exhibition Page [Zeno X Gallery]
Luc Tuymans: The painterly pessimist [FT]
