The Toronto-born, New York-based artist Martin Wittfooth is one of the most provocative and in-demand artists of the New Contemporary movement. His new solo show Domestic Katabasis, debuts in Los Angeles this month at Corey Helford Gallery.
OPENING RECEPTION
October 20, 2018 | 7pm – 11pm
ON VIEW
October 20 – November 24, 2018
COREY HELFORD GALLERY
571 S. Anderson St. Los Angeles, CA 90033
Open Tuesday-Saturday, 12pm – 6pm
(310) 287-2340
Wittfooth’s new series will feature the largest and most ambitious paintings of his career ─ 19 new oil paintings in total on canvas, linen, or wood panels.
Wittfooth’s oil paintings explore disquieting themes of industry and nature, unhinged evolution, the clash of old ideologies with modern fears, and the growing shadow of the human footprint on the earth. Set in atmospheric landscapes rendered over many paint layers on canvas, linen, or wood panels, these themes are realized through a combination of symbolism, the juxtaposition of visual narratives, and the displacement of expected realities. The worlds created in Wittfooth’s paintings implore the viewer to question the status quo, to challenge that which is taken for granted, and to proceed with caution on our present course.
In his show statement, Wittfooth shares: “In this new series…I wanted to explore how humanity’s efforts of taming nature – and indeed, of taming the nature in ourselves – might represent a kind of fall from grace – a downward departure from the archetype of the ‘gardens’ of our origin. The progress of the human enterprise is often visualized as having upward momentum, while from another perspective one might well regard its opposite: that the more we aspire to dominate the world from up high, the deeper the valley is that we actually find ourselves in.”
Wittfooth’s work has been exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide, graced the covers of magazines (Beautiful Bizarre, New American Paintings, Hi-Fructose, and American Artist Magazine) and albums (Rival Sons, The Joy Formidable, Tagaq, and Silverstein). In 2014, Wittfooth released Babel, a 124-page, hardcover monograph featuring his paintings from years 2009-2014, designed and published by Murphy Design.
On Saturday, October 20, downtown Los Angeles’ Corey Helford Gallery will proudly present the new solo exhibition from Martin Wittfooth, entitled Domestic Katabasis, in the Main Gallery. The opening reception will be held on Saturday, October 20 from 7pm – 11pm, and the show will be on view until November 24.
One of the most provocative artists of the New Contemporary movement, Wittfooth’s new series will feature the largest and most ambitious paintings of his career ─ 19 new oil paintings in total on canvas, linen, or wood panels.
In his show statement, Wittfooth shares, “‘Katabasis’ is an ancient Greek term that refers to a descent of some type in mythology, usually into the underworld, out of which there is often no return – though in the archetypal hero’s journey, explored at length in the work of notable thinkers such as Joseph Cambell and Carl Jung, this descent also offered an invitation to awaken to the gravity of one’s situation in order to properly overcome its challenges. In this new series of works, titled Domestic Katabasis, I wanted to explore how humanity’s efforts of taming nature – and indeed, of taming the nature in ourselves – might represent a kind of fall from grace – a downward departure from the archetype of the ‘gardens’ of our origin. The progress of the human enterprise is often visualized as having upward momentum, while from another perspective one might well regard its opposite: that the more we aspire to dominate the world from up high, the deeper the valley is that we actually find ourselves in.
I explore various themes concerning the human condition through the animal form. In this new series I’ve chosen to include domesticated animals in each of the works, transformed by design from an archaic wild state, to more neatly fit inside the autobiography of our species. As such, the animal subjects in the paintings serve as reflections of our human ideals and desires: the ‘other’ transformed into the controlled, sterilized and familiar ‘we,’ or ‘I’ – designed, tamed, shaped and manicured to fit within the norms of culture.”
Wittfooth concludes by quoting poet Robert Bly’s Iron John: A Book About Men: “We remember Oedipus in his katabasis: one day an arrogant, demanding king, the next a blind man being led around by others.”
About Martin Wittfooth
Martin Wittfooth was born in Toronto, Canada in 1981, and spent most of his childhood in Finland, moving back to Toronto in 1993 where he earned his BAA in Illustration from Sheridan College in 2003. He currently lives and works as an illustrator and fine artist in New York City, where he earned his MFA at the School of Visual Arts in 2008.
Wittfooth’s oil paintings explore disquieting themes of industry and nature, unhinged evolution, the clash of old ideologies with modern fears, and the growing shadow of the human footprint on the earth. Set in atmospheric landscapes rendered over many paint layers on canvas, linen, or wood panels, these themes are realized through a combination of symbolism, the juxtaposition of visual narratives, and the displacement of expected realities. The worlds created in Wittfooth’s paintings implore the viewer to question the status quo, to challenge that which is taken for granted, and to proceed with caution on our present course.
Wittfooth’s work has been exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide, with solo exhibitions in New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, Montreal, and Europe. His paintings have also appeared in numerous publications, such as Juxtapoz, American Art Collector, and Vice, including gracing the covers of Beautiful Bizarre, New American Paintings, Hi-Fructose, and American Artist Magazine.
In 2014, Wittfooth released Babel, a 124-page, hardcover monograph featuring his paintings from years 2009-2014, designed and published by Murphy Design.
In 2016, Wittfooth’s original painting “Incantation” was on view in Hi-Fructose‘s “Turn the Page: The First Ten Years of Hi-Fructose” exhibition at Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art.
In addition, Wittfooth designed the cover art for California-Nashville rock band Rival Sons’ 2016 album Hollow Bones.