The work in this show is inspired by the six months that artist Lisa Kairos spent in the Mojave Desert, just outside Joshua Tree National Park. During an extended residency in the winter and spring of 2021–22, the artist took long walks through the desert–thinking, feeling, observing, and then returning to the studio to study satellite imagery of the area and to paint. The resulting artworks reference geological formations revealed by aerial views overlaid with signal fields passing through infinite landscapes. Cloud-like blooms recur, inviting alternate readings as micro-organic and crystalline structures and massive weather patterns.
Lisa Kairos sees the landscape as a metaphor or a lens through which we can learn about ourselves and make sense of the world. Creating this new body of work while orienting to an unfamiliar landscape, Kairos was captivated with the notion of change. She explains: “The high desert is a place of transitions, some so subtle they require time and acute attention to detect, others generously unfurling, hi-fi, impossible to miss.” Upon arrival, the landscape seemed a dry, barren place. But by instinct, an artist’s eye seeks color; and in time, Kairos’ eyes became more sensitive, tuning into the gradations of color in the plants, the rocks, and the sky. “Transitional times of day are marked by dramatic color–magenta, peach, orange, dusky purple, teal, star-strewn indigo blue. Spring blooms are breathtaking in their brief and bright exuberance.”
The artist approached the making of this body of work the same way that she explored the landscape: over time, in layers, and with shifting perspectives. Her choice of materials is also congruous with her subject matter. She uses water-based pigments (pigments which so often originate from earth and stone) on paper and panel made from trees, bringing together water, earth, and wood. Only fire is missing from the process, but the saturated power of the sun and heat of the desert come through in her color choices.
These landscape paintings are less concerned with documenting how the desert looks than capturing the sublime and wondrous multi-sensory, multi-dimensional, and time-based experience of being there. In keeping with her dual fascination with nature and technology, the artist has activated three pieces for the exhibition, using AR to separate several of the layers. While the work stands on its own without the added technology, it shows the artist’s interest in exploring new ground and finding new tools to bring viewers a little closer not just to her artistic process, but also to her first-hand experience of this wondrous world.
SUPERBLOOM will be on view at SLATE contemporary gallery September 1–October 28, 2022.
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