TRAVIS LOUIE // VIEWS FROM A NETHERWORLD

KP Projects Gallery is proud to present, Views From a Netherworld, by Travis Louie.

In his new body of work Travis Louie explores the phenomena of the supernatural world. Influenced by the television cult classics “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark”, “Twilight Zone”, and “The Night Stalker”, Louie explores spirits and other unexplained paranormal mysteries that have long made an appearance in our culture and folklore. Throughout history, many people have reported seeing apparitions, though definitive proof for the existence of these spiritual beings remains elusive.

Influenced by these strange instances of contact with the beyond, Louie muses, “I've always been fascinated by otherworldly beings that visit our dimension searching for something”. In Miss Christina and the Crow, Christina, clad in Victorian dress, appears with her spirit guide raven, a courier between the worlds of the living and the beyond, traversing across these realms with messages and foretelling. Often perceived as omens from the Netherworld, the crow is a symbol classically steeped in mysticism.

Strange creatures and mythical beasts also feature in Louie’s paintings, like Krampus, transformed from the dark roots of pagan history into a loveable monster of magic and dreams, floating above a soft field of white blooms. As with past series of work, Louie plays with scale to make animals and creatures share greater significance with the human counterparts of the paintings.

Likened to family photo albums locked away in a forgotten space, Louie’s meticulously painted surfaces resemble old 19th century photographs. This illusory surface confounds the veracity of such fantastical apparitions in his imagery, and provide a whimsical glimpse into the supernatural world beyond.

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Travis Louie was born in Queens, New York. His formative years were spent watching ‘Atomic Age’ sci-fi movies and sketching genre characters like Godzilla, King Kong, and a host of creatures from Ray Harryhausen movies. He graduated from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, and has been exhibited across the continental United States and in select exhibitions in Germany, France, and Canada.