South African Artist Luke Baggott at Steven Amedee Gallery

Steven Amedee Gallery presents a solo exhibition of oil paintings and mixed media works on paper by the South African artist, Luke Baggott from Feb 20 to March 28. The opening reception is Feb. 20, from 6-9 p.m. The gallery is at 41 North Moore St.

In Tapestry of Discord, Baggott uses New York City as a backdrop to challenge narrative conventions about place and community, highlighting the fragmentation and confusion present in familiar spaces, destabilizing entrenched ideas about the city. As a native South African, Baggott's work examines what it is to be different and whether the process of assimilation requires us to abandon vital parts of our identity in the quest for belonging. 

Descriptive detail is often abandoned in favor of abstracted impressions. These redefined forms flatten out conventional perspectives, allowing shape, color, and fractured imagery to take center stage. The work becomes a metaphor for his ambiguous relationship with the overwhelming surroundings and sensory overload of the City. Baggott’s intense exploration of the competing needs between connection and disconnection brings into question our relationship with ourselves, each other and the world.

Luke Baggott was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and studied Fine Art at the University of Witwatersrand. He is the recipient of several awards and grants including an exceptional 3rd time award from the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation. He currently works from a studio in Harlem, and cites the work of Edward Hopper, George Bellows and more currently Antonio Lopez Garcia and Cecily Brown as significant influences.