NYAB Event - Fred Harper “Virus Like Us”

Fred Harper “Virus Like Us”

Last Rites Gallery

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Last Rites Gallery presents Virus Like Us, new work by Fred Harper, in what will be his fourth solo show at the gallery. Virus Like Us will be made up of all new work by Harper and include 14 oil paintings and 4 drawings. For many years, pipes, stairs and wires have made appearances along Harper’s sultry females. Virus Like Us takes the ubiquity of these elements one step further as they share dominance with their female protagonists, and in some cases, steal the spotlight altogether.

Much of Harper’s work is largely inspired by his move to New York City. Originally from a small town in Pennsylvania, his love for art brought him to the great metropolis and subsequently, these new experiences provided a wellspring of inspiration. An alien world full of people swarming in and out like an infestation, antiquated technology alongside the state of the art and the fusion of the organic with the mechanical captured Harper’s imagination and paintbrush. The constant destruction, decay, repair and building by the need of humans to exist caught Harper’s attention and raised many questions he can be seen investigating through his paintings.

In Virus Like Us, Harper’s vixens move about without rules or laws in a futuristic, dystopian version of paradise. Fragments of the past mix with elements of the future. Broken staircases leading to nowhere are juxtaposed with tangles of cables and pipes, lush green landscapes, dilapidated buildings and blue waters. Civilization has almost merged with technology making contemporary necessity such as clothes and shelter obsolete. Wires effortlessly stream from the head of some female figures while other women naturally interact alongside the infinite channels of pipelines. The old still endures beside the new. Humankind continues to exist and plague the earth, adapting like they always do, with their environment.

This body of work also calls attention to the importance of depth perception. Harper plays with the viewer as opaque white dots hop back and forth from the foreground and mid-ground in some of his works causing wonder and intrigue. The dots revisit questions of purpose, place and need; concepts that humans find themselves constantly exploring as well.