Travis Lampe – “Small Time Buffoonist” @ Corey Helford Gallery [Los Angeles]
The Chicago artist showcases new work in his trademark whimsical (yet, often, unsettling) old-timey cartoon style
Chicago artist, Travis Lampe has forged an unmistakably unique aesthetic that feels almost eerily 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, he describes his art as “a mish-mosh of those old-timey influences with some Duccio-inspired mountains and the inevitable light-switch nose,” There’s a healthy balance of bold fresh imagery underpinned by an abstract sense of nostalgia. What has always stood out to me about his pieces is the dynamic color play and the sheer personality infused into and overflowing from every single one of the characters. Bold larger-than-life figures who often present as sugary and gumdrop-sweet, can feel increasingly dangerous, if not genuinely terrifying, the more you imagine being in their physical presence. Although they may beckon and entice us, the worlds that the painter creates are to be appreciated and visited from a distance. If one of us humans were to somehow enter through a canvas, our heads would likely fill with candy and explode, our taffy limbs dismembered by an anthropomorphic licorice tree.
Next month, Lampe will showcase his latest collection of work at the Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles.
Titled “Small Time Buffoonist,”the latest exhibition follows “All Signs Point To No,” his first solo show at the gallery back in 2022, along with previous 7-artist and 3-artist shows he’d contributed at CHG prior. Regarding the new work, Travis states, “What is the meaning of art? Philosophers have wrestled with this question since time immemorial. Thank goodness, the wait is finally over. Speaking through my latest body of work, art is ‘pictures and stuff.’ Each piece — whether it features a chain smoking bird, a pathetically drunken egg man, or the quotidien trials of hell-bat motherhood — speaks DIRECTLY to the human condition.” Adding, “You’ll see yourself in this show. It’ll be as if you were gazing at a reflection of yourself, but looking into a mirror. So, like, a three way reflection? It’s hard to explain.”
Featuring acrylic and gouache paintings, as well as sculptures,Small Time Buffoonist will open Saturday, April 6th, with the exhibition running until May 11th. If you’re in the area, do yourself a favor and see it in person. One bonus incentive is that it will be opening alongside a solo show by world-renowned Spanish painter and sculptor Okuda San Miguel, titled Kisses Between Universes, in the Main Gallery.
Check out preview images for the exhibition below the following event details…
WHAT:
SMALL TIME BUFFOONIST
Solo Exhibition by Travis Lampe
WHEN:
Opening:
Saturday, April 6th, 2024
7pm-10pm
WHERE:
Corey Helford Gallery
[Gallery 2]
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, May 11th, 2024
Gallery hours: Tues – Sat. noon – 6pm
