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| Installation view of Billy Childish's exhibition "wolves, sunsets and the self" at Lehmann Maupin Seoul / Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin |
By Kwon Mee-yoo
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| Billy Childish / Courtesy of the artist and Lehmann Maupin |
Multi-talented Childish is a painter, poet, author, filmmaker, musician and record producer. Known for his introspective and confessional writing, Childish is a cult figure in many fields.
The exhibit features seven paintings, shedding light on the artist's "radical traditionalist" approach.
"I make a picture in the same way a child does ― something 'out there' interests me. Making a painting of that 'something' then joins me with the universal creator/creation in a more intent way than just being an observer," Childish once stated.
Childish does not follow a specific artistic trend, though he founded the Stuckist art movement back in 1999. The Stuckists were against conceptual art, saying "Artists who don't paint aren't artists." However, Childish left the group in 2001 and has pursued his own creative path since then.
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| "wolf, trees and road" by Billy Childish / Courtesy of the artist and Lehmann Maupin |
Childish respects long-standing traditions in art, but integrates his personal style into it, which is described as "radical traditionalist."
The artist works in an intuitive way, painting a piece in a single session without any revisions. Such a process is portrayed in his brushstrokes and unique perspective which confuses the point of view.
The paintings are titled in a rather simple, ordinary way, as the artist wants the viewers to appreciate the artwork as it is, not prejudiced by the title. Instead of interpreting his work verbally, Childish hopes that the paintings would act like a window that bridges the audiences and nature.
Along with the title of the exhibition, two wolves appear in paintings "wolf in birch trees" and "wolf, trees and road." His landscape paintings range from an idyllic sunset to an ominously clouded sky.
Childish's flower paintings "chrysanthemums in June's pot" and "irises" features flowers in earthenware created by Childish's mother June, which shows an artistic connection between mother and son. He brings personal objects into the traditional genre of still life.
"His style is often compared to the expressionist painters of the late 19th/early 20th century, such as Vincent van Gogh and Edvard Munch, but for Childish it is the embodiment of these artists' spiritual and creative integrity, and how this informed their roles within society, that is most compelling," the gallery said in a statement.
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| "irises" by Billy Childish / Courtesy of the artist and Lehmann Maupin |
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