NYAB Event - Travis Lindquist "In The Darkest Night"

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At McCaig-Welles & Rosenthal
Media: Painting, Drawing

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"In The Darkest Night" is a solo exhibition of new works on canvas, wood and paper by the artist Travis Lindquist. Fresh from the successful Goldmine Shithouse exhibition at McCaig Welles and Rosenthal's new San Francisco location, Lindquist's emerges with a macabre new collection of mixed media works that delve into the dark recesses of revolutionary leaders past.

For "In The Darkest Night," Lindquist has created his own iconography and visual language, reinterpreting rogue leaders, creating haunting, otherworldly portraits. These depictions of anarchists, free masons, cult leaders and followers prompt the viewer to question their mysterious identities. The inherent nature of the human spirit - the duality of good versus evil, light versus dark - is unearthed through subject matter and formalist elements. Lindquist's portraits are deeply layered with a shadowy air, expressive brush strokes, and overlaying text. A notably darker palette lends itself to the true nature of his subjects; guarded, distant, yet delicate. Some figures, many with striking and conspicuous stares, allude to a romanticized, heroic version of themselves amidst the reality of their bleak existence.

Throughout his eight years of research and collection of vintage photography books and Russian film stills, Lindquist found these seemingly vacuous faces intriguing. With a strong desire to expose the anonymity of their identities, Lindquist deconstructs the original imagery and rebuilds through textured media and application of paint in order to transcend his subjects' cryptic nature. In some works the artist projects his own stream-of-consciousness and observations through random scrawling on his portraits.

"In The Darkest Night" draws inspiration specifically from notable Russian film stills including Kaline and the Eagle, Lonely Song Bird, and obscure European song lyrics. His technique also recalls ancient illuminated manuscripts and German Expressionist woodcuts.

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