Massey Lyuben Gallery is proud to present a thought-provoking solo exhibition of paintings by Eric Helvie, whose innovative process is generating quite a discussion.
On view now through October 7, “O” is the second solo exhibition of paintings by Eric Helvie at Massey Lyuben Gallery. Featured in this show are Helvie’s newest oils, based on images the artist captured on his phone as they loaded from his Instagram feed. Using the screenshot feature on his mobile device, the artist then painstakingly rendered what he saw in oils.
“The seven new works seamlessly move between abstraction and photorealism, presenting a foggy and filtered reality where all subjects are equally obscured,” the gallery writes. “These purposefully unclear compositions, still ‘loading,’ present a peaceful limbo. The image will never become clear and we are left contemplating an indistinct, albeit richly painted middle ground.
“The result is a body of work that simultaneously elicits tension and reflection. In contrast to the immediacy of social media and the digital age, Helvie’s paintings offer an inherent slowness: in order to really see the image, they demand patience, submission, and meditative appreciation. By isolating the image from its context, captions, and comments, the artist removes any narration and offers viewers the pure essence of the image. Choosing to only present the ‘loading’ circle centered and floating in a cloudy square, Helvie nods towards a timelessness outside of our specific reality.”
Learn more by visiting Massey Lyuben Gallery.
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