In his new series, “Atami seashore instrumental” (2022), “Ambient Ballroom”, (2022), ‘Melancholy Dub’ (2022), Lucas Dupuy’s imagery creates a new body of work concentrating on irregular structures and complex painterly filaments that resemble smaller micro-threadlike compositions. In this realm, Dupuy’s new painting work examines the art of abstraction through an intuitive and abrupt visual prism. Delivering visually imperfect or even sentimental painting lines and forms, the artist sets up a vague and gloomy environment with subdued tones based on his color palette. These complex structures of tortuous and lengthy arrangements incite smoothly elegant and fluid movements variably rendered on the surface of his artworks. Reminiscent of photographic reflections and shades imbedded into the field of contemporary painting, Dupuy’s compositions depart from conventional creative patterns and evolve to enigmatic graphics, refined gestures and unpredictable rhythms.
Words: Yannis Kostarias
Blurred viusalisations and themes do not fail to denote simplicity or harmony, while enjoying the artist’s work from further distance. Even though his new body of work seems to present a recurring, yet rhythmic painting motif, a coherent optical language is successfully built helping the viewer’s eye to feel more engaged with the final painting outcome. In addition, the layers of pale colours in the background render a great variety of energy, tension and high aesthetics. Nevertheless, this sort of tension does not bring up aggressive tone or attitude, but serener and more balanced vibrations. Whatever medium the artist employs, besides painting, such as sculpture (e.g “Soundof”,2021, “Mirrorof”, 2021), Dupuy’s practice seems to concentrate on the field of Abstraction and Minimalism mediating his ideas in three-dimensional artworks that embody the same vague qualities and uncanny geometries in his creative vocabulary.
Can you tell us about the process of making your work?
I work in many different ways in the studio, sometimes working on drawings that will translate into the paintings in some way or just building up layers in the paintings with no real plan or drawing. I guess, there is usually a real balance of exploration with some planning on some of the more large scale works. I try to spend a lot of time moving around, exploring and cycling around the city/countryside. Photographing elements that I find interesting or relevant to me in some way: how shadows interact with architecture, how spaces change with light, how reflections can illuminate a space or an object. I am interested in these subtle changes, I try to reflect that within the painting.
How would you define your work in a few words (ideally in 3 words)?
Calm, Anxious & Hazy.
You’re currently having a new group exhibition, “Approach” with Vika Prokopaviciute, at Coulisse Gallery in Stockholm; what kind of new paintings are you presenting at that show curated by Jeanette Gunnarsson?
I am showing 4 new paintings that I have produced in the past few months. I am very happy with how they are working with Vika’s in space. We have a lot of similar interests and I think they create a great dialogue together.
In the press release, it is mentioned that “the show brings together two artists whose work contains an acute sense of the physicality of spaces and architecture and the emotional and metaphorical possibilities present within them”. How would you say that your works there create a dialogue with Prokopaviciute’s paintings in the gallery space?
I think mine and Vika’s work really resonate together because of both our fascinations with space, depth and composition at the core of a painting’s structure. We have very different ways of approaching working; Vika works on one painting at a time and uses the last painting as a starting point for the next one, whereas I am working on up to 5-10 paintings at once in the studio. I think that these are different approaches. We also both have strong interests in how shadows/light interact within space and architecture.
More generally your artworks reflect a strong fascination in the field of abstraction; would you be also interested in being artistically involved in different kinds of painting techniques or motifs? For example, more figurative works?
I have always had a real fascination with abstraction but I really enjoy looking at lots of figurative works. I think I probably look at more figurative painting now than abstraction. I have been using a lot of photographs in my works over the past couple of years, but no traditional figuration. I am much more interested in the object, the structure, architecture or nature.
Do specific artworks (either sculptures or paintings) have been created by random experiments in your studio or do you usually come up with a particular concept or narrative in the very beginning of your artistic process?
Most sculptural works are reasonably planned out, I do a lot of drawing for those, but the paintings are much more intuitive. But my way of working can also depend on the project, and the context of where the work will be viewed.
What would be the best way to exhibit your work?
Last summer I was part of a final hot desert duo show with Louis Morlæ curated by Ben Sang. Showing work in this context feels very comfortable and I think it gives the work context when it’s engaging with its surroundings in some way. The interaction between outdoor elements and my practice is very engaging to me, as there is such a large intersection between the two in the making and development of the work, so it feels really natural to show work in this context.
Which are your plans for the near future?
I am participating in a group show curated by Ben Edmunds at Tatjana Pieters gallery opening Feb 4th. I am also about to launch a new publication at Collective Ending on March 11th published by Lichen Books which is a publisher I run with all purpose studio alongside my practice. I am also working towards my solo show at Parcel Tokyo opening July 2023.
Additional Artworks
All images courtesy of the artist & Coulisse gallery