PREVIEW: Travis Lampe – “All Signs Point to No” @ Corey Helford Gallery [Los Angeles]

We’ve seen the work of endless artists over the years and, quite often, there doesn’t always seem to be much rhyme or reason for why one gets elevated over the crowd as opposed to another. Maybe it’s just personal taste or accessibility. Sometimes, it’s all about who you know or possessing an ability, if not simply an above-average willingness, to network. Other times it’s just about pumping out volume and keeping your work and your name out there. To be honest, it’s most likely a combination of all of these factors among others. According to a brief July 2021 interview with Chicago‘s Travis Lampe, he still has “a day job,” which cuts into his ability to paint as much as he’d like to. We’ve posted Lampe‘s work in multiple group exhibitions over the years and he has always been a standout, so this might explain why we haven’t seen more from him more consistently, since he first hit the scene 15 years ago. Whether it’s due to a continued dream of his to “make it” as a full-time artist, or simply a creative need to keep pushing forward, we’re incredibly happy to see Travis pop up whenever he does, and, even happier that, this Saturday, August 6th, we’ll get the chance to catch and exhibition that’s solely dedicated to his work hosted by the Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles.

Lampe‘s aesthetic is both uniquely identifiable, yet familiar, drawing from old-school black-and-white cartoons like Steamboat Willie-era Disney and the work by Fleisher Studios (Koko The Clown, Betty Boop, Popeye, etc), as well as the illustrative work of Dr Suess. Travis describes his art as “a mish-mosh of those old-timey influences with some Duccio-inspired mountains and the inevitable light-switch nose,” but what shines through for me is the overflow of personality in every image. One quality that I truly love about those old-school animated programs was the amount of life that was infused in everything, including the inanimate objects. That’s something that definitely translates in Lampe‘s paintings along with a non-descript creepiness and uncertainty living behind these whimsical characters and landscapes.

Travis Lampe has shown with Corey Helford Gallery in the past as part of 7-artist and 3-artist shows, but All Signs Point To No will mark his very first large-scale solo exhibition at the Los Angeles gallery. For this show, he will feature 19 pieces in total, which include sculptures alongside his acrylic and gouache paintings. Of the new work, Travis says, “What does the future hold? It’s hard to say. It might be bad stuff though. This show was inspired by fortune telling, mystical divination, and an idea I had for this one really sweet piece I never ended up making. Like the stuff in this show, but way cooler. That happens sometimes. I should have consulted a medium to find out whether I did it or not. But they are expensive, I assume, mainly fronts for money-laundering enterprises. Anyway, death is certain. But I recommend avoiding it.”

The opening for All Signs Point To No is this Saturday, August 6th, and runs until September 10th. Here’s hoping that this thing sells out and Travis can finally dedicate himself to this work full-time, if that’s what he wants for his life. If you’re in the area and need another reason to come out for this one, know that it will be running concurrently with another impressive-looking solo show by UK street artist, D*FACE in another section of the gallery, which also opens that night.

Check out preview images for the exhibition below the following event details…

WHAT:

ALL SIGNS POINT TO NO
Solo Exhibition by Travis Lampe

WHEN:

Opening:
Saturday, August 6th, 2022
7pm-10pm

WHERE:

Corey Helford Gallery
[Gallery 3]
571 S Anderson St (Enter on Willow St)
Los Angeles, CA 90033
Phone: (310) 287-2340

ADDITIONAL INFO:

Opening is ALL AGES w/NO COVER
Artist will be in attendance
Show on view until Saturday, September 10th, 2022
Gallery hours: Tues – Sat. noon – 6pm