ERIC LOUIE | HIDE AND SEEK
Eric Louie | Hide and Seek
October 1-13, 2022
Main Gallery
3045 Granville Street, Vancouver
The reworking of canvases has always been a common, natural, and even essential element of an artist’s practice. Bau-Xi Gallery presents an extraordinary collection composed entirely of newly reworked abstract paintings by Vancouver artist Eric Louie. In his signature graphic, sculptural style, Eric rethinks his organic abstract forms with new colour, line and balance, fine-tuned to reflect the process and accumulation of learning along life’s journey. The new paintings gain fortitude from the energy of the originals, which lie dormant under the surface for a later discovery.
Artist statement:
I find a lot of joy in reinventing my older pieces. This rebirth or salvation - changing something old into something new - has many rewards and moments of discovery. Through a process of transcription via the iPad, I can explore new avenues for forms within the works, leading to surprisingly different outcomes than I had originally imagined. This cycle of technology informing my painting has become inescapable and is reflective of our use of technology in life in general.
As in past bodies of work, the paintings elicit comfort through suggestions of the familiar, while remaining subjective in their virtual spaces. They reference landscapes or connote flora or fauna-like imagery, sometimes even figural, without being overt. My paintings allow one to relate to their content, while at the same time posing questions as to its significance. The show title ‘Hide and Seek’ reflects the idea that paintings are in constant flux, and that the artist tames them while they are in the studio. They undergo the processes of expansion and contraction of information, from maximalism to minimalism in some cases... The works speak to a futuristic aesthetic, bending metallic gradients and bands of light over leaf-like formations. In them, I see a sense of strength and perhaps utopian beauty found in idealized shapes and compositions. – Eric Louie 2022