Travis Louie
Born 1964 in Queens, New York. Lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.
A Pratt Institute graduate, Travis Louie transitioned from a freelance illustrator to full-time artist since 2003.
Blossoming from the tiny drawings and scribbles in his journals, Travis Louie’s paintings refer to Victorian and Edwardian photographic portraiture. Influenced by German Expressionist cinema, film noir, Gothic literature, 1950s Sci-Fi, and the Weird Tales of H.P. Lovecraft, Louie’s work is inhabited by human oddities, mythical beings, and otherworldly characters who appear to have had their formal portraits taken to mark their existence. The underlying thread that connects all these characters is the unusual circumstances that shape who they were and how they lived. Some of their origins are a complete mystery while others are hinted at.
Using acrylic paint washes and simple textures on smooth boards, he has created portraits from an alternative universe that seemingly may or may not have existed. His work is about identity and remembrance, with a commentary on racism and the immigrant experience. Through his otherworldly characters, Louie would like the fear of "the other" to be replaced with a curiosity about the unknown and a sense of wonder regarding those things that are unfamiliar.
1964 年出生於紐約皇后區。 在紐約布魯克林生活和工作。
Travis Louie 從普拉特藝術學院（Pratt Institute）畢業後成為自由插畫師，並於 2003 年左右開始了他的全職藝術家生涯。他的表現手法受到德國表現主義電影、黑色電影、哥德派文學、50 年代科幻電影和 H.P. Lovecraft 科幻小說的影響。
Louie 受維多利亞時代和愛德華時代的人像照片啟發，以十九世紀肖像攝影作為視覺語言，創作出一系列怪人、神話和超自然生物畫作。利用稀釋丙烯酸漆和簡單紋理，以絲絨般柔和的筆觸在光滑板上，描繪出角色的正式肖像畫。他為每個角色創作出獨一無二的背景故事，把情節藏在古怪的外貌、形態以及非比尋常的生活情境內，為無為有處有還無的異世界添上真實感。
作為移民後代，Louie 非常關注身份、記憶、移民和種族主義等議題。他認為異世界角色能抹去觀者對種族、身份和成長背景的主觀看法，讓觀者重新體驗其他人的生活，以好奇心和驚嘆取代對異類或未知的莫名恐懼。
PREVIOUS EXHIBITIONS
-
2023
Unusual Circumstances | Harman Projects | New York, NY
Imaginary Friends | Haven Gallery | Northport, NY2022
MAGICAL BEASTS | KP Projects | Los Angeles, CA2021
New Works | Haven Gallery | Northport, NY2020
Curious Beasts | KP Projects | Los Angeles, CA
Imaginary Friends | William Baczek Fine Arts | Northampton, MA
Travis Louie | William Baczek Fine Arts | Northampton, MA2019
Animals That I’ve Known | Haven Gallery | Northport, NY
Biodiversity | Roq La Rue Gallery | Seattle, WA2018
Curious Organisms | KP Projects | Los Angeles, CA
Menagerie | William Baczek Fine Arts | Northampton, MA2017
Whence One Comes: The Musings of Travis Louie | University of Wyoming Museum of Art | Laramie, WY
Phantasmagoria | KP Projects | Los Angeles, CA2016
VIEWS FROM A NETHERWORLD | KP Projects | Los Angeles, CA2015
Watch the Skies | KP Projects | Los Angeles, CA
Archive of Lost Species | Roq La Rue Gallery | Seattle, WA2014
Before They Were Villains or Heroes | William Baczek Fine Arts | Northampton, MA2013
Strange Discoveries | Merry Karnowsky Gallery | Los Angeles, CA
Monsters on Their Day Off | Roq La Rue Gallery | Seattle, WA2012
Spirits | The Stranger Factory | Albuquerque, NM -
2022
25th Anniversary Exhibition | KP Projects | Los Angeles, CA2021
Animalia: curated by Beautiful Bizarre Magazine | Haven Gallery | Northport, NY
Slice of Summer | KP Projects | Los Angeles, CA
Intersect: Summer Print Salon 2001 - 2021 | KP Projects | Los Angeles, CA2020
5 Years of Haven | Haven Gallery | Northport, NY
Shakespearean | Haven Gallery | Northport, NY2019
Shimmer Shine Glimmer Glow : A Holiday Group Show | KP Projects | Los Angeles, CA
Ritual at Haven Gallery – a Beautiful Bizarre exhibition | Haven Gallery | Northport, NY
Drawing the Line | IX Gallery | Altoona, PA2018
The Miniature Show | Dorothy Circus Gallery | Rome, Italy
The Moleskine Project VII | Spoke Art | San Francisco, CA
Animal Kingdom 2018 | William Baczek Fine Arts | Northampton, MA
Meridian Group Exhibition | KP Projects | Los Angeles, CA2017
The Moleskine Project VI, Spoke Art
It came from beneath the sea | Haven Gallery | Northport, NY
Lush Life | Hashimoto Contemporary | San Francisco, CA2014
Praeteritum Nunc Futurum | KP Projects | Los Angeles, CA