Femke Hiemstra + Travis Louie Opening @ Roq la Rue Tonight
There's some sort of primeval or subconscious part of our brains that remains fascinated with the potential magic of spaces we can't enter, whether it's down a rabbit hole, on the other side of a mirror, or the life of things within the walls of our home. The work of Dutch artist Femke Hiemstra, which goes on display at Roq la Rue tonight, captures that fascination with whimsy and wit. Her paintings demonstrate a miniaturist's attention to detail as well as a wildly active imagination. Her paintings on found objects, like The Fortune Cookie Hunter, beg us to see the potential magic in the everyday.
Travis Louie's paintings of big, furry, friendly monsters, done in the style of Nineteenth Century photographic portraits, also on display at Roq tonight, initially suggest an homage to the lost wonders of childhood. After all, whenever you see an old picture like that, it goes without saying that the subject is long since dead. But upon reflection, one realizes that interpretation is far too literal and psychoanalytic. Just as the tactile experience of an actual old photograph proves the past's existence and establishes its link to the present, Louie's pastiches are less a means of expressing what's lost as they are a means of proving its existence. The imaginative history of his friendly if strange-looking creatures forces us to imagine what they've become today.
Also tonight: Artist's reception for NYC graffiti artist/legend GHOST at BLVD, next door to Roq la Rue, from 6-10.
Travis Louie/Femke Hiemstra @ Roq la Rue // 2312 Second Avenue // Opening April 11, 6-9 p.m. // thru May 3
