Artist Talk - Steven Lowe
Steven Lowe
Harry Adams and The Light Industrial Workshop
16.11.17
Lowe introduced a detailed account of his collaborative venture with Adam Wood. They produce paintings, installations, and exhibitions under the pseudonym Harry Adams. He justified this with “...the surname had to begin with A, in curated exhibitions we'd be at the top.” Lowe and Wood’s hyper-awareness of the culture of the ‘art world' resulted in a humorous and light take on a world which often becomes so wrapped up in its own seriousness, it leaves itself open to these satirical blows from artists who make art to get away from rules, etiquette and a bourgeoisie [1] society.
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| i. Our Expulsion (After Masaccio) – image courtesy of the artist. |
His personal account of Harry Adams’ history from Noise Performance in Art school to L13 and The Light Industrial Workshop situated in London (humorously titled Private Ladies & Gentleman's Club for Art, Leisure and the Disruptive Betterment of Culture) was an interesting journey through these artist’s practices. Lowe referenced “Attitude art” An approach synonymous with rebellion and angst. Satire forms a large part of this genre, an intelligent way of subverting authority. D.Hebdige, an author in contemporary critical studies [2] argues that Britain's working-class youth subcultures challenge dominant ideology, hegemony, and social normalisation through symbolic forms of resistance. In this instance, Lowe and Wood use stylistic wordplay and disturb painterly techniques to resist ‘high art’ propriety.
In Fig ii., the remnants of the geometry can be seen under layers of distressed paint – geometry a traditional strategy in depicting perfect modernist architecture. Removing layers to reveal these traditional techniques whilst simultaneously disturbing the surface of the painting lends itself to this notion of anarchy and angst; Lowe and Wood celebrate the history of painting and translate its methods into a context which explore contemporary cultural studies.
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| ii. Chaos of Super-Thinking at the Modernist Ruin, 2015 - Image courtesy of the artist |
In Fig ii., the remnants of the geometry can be seen under layers of distressed paint – geometry a traditional strategy in depicting perfect modernist architecture. Removing layers to reveal these traditional techniques whilst simultaneously disturbing the surface of the painting lends itself to this notion of anarchy and angst; Lowe and Wood celebrate the history of painting and translate its methods into a context which explore contemporary cultural studies.
Their ‘Our Expulsion (After Masaccio)’ painting (fig i.) explores an urbanised interpretation of renaissance narratives. The piece is rich in symbolism; the omnipresent entity banishing Adam and Eve from Eden for their sins. The title’s reference to Italian Renaissance painter Masaccio only completes the indications to religion. Lowe mentioned a life-long contempt for authority rooted in childhood experiences in Catholic schools. It’s interesting to think about how they both grapple with this disdain in their painting, charged brushstrokes, and sarcastic commentaries appear to be Lowe’s way of dealing with the weight of his past.
[1] The middle class, typically with reference to its perceived materialistic values or conventional attitudes.
(in Marxist contexts) The capitalist class who own most of society's wealth and means of production.
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