Austin Eddy. Immutable Traveler

When a thousand blossoms climb the pheasant! In his painterly oeuvre Austin Eddy formulates contradictions, draws on Cubist traditions and seeks the balance between figuration and abstraction. His figurative elements fold themselves into nocturnal landscapes, buildings become isolated views of seemingly claustrophobic spaces, floating clouds resemble bulbous fingers – and all of them are at once portraits, still lifes and landscapes. Formally and conceptually, Austin Eddy’s work refers to American modernism, but no one describes what is special about it better than the artist himself: “I think the paintings are constantly trying to find a way between reality and abstraction. I am interested in exploring the limits of how far the conversation between the two can be stretched. The paintings have their roots in narratives from real life, but they are not necessarily bound to representing reality. In order to tie them to the earth, I try to make use of time. Light plays a decisive part if one wants to understand how these pictures work. Not only in the sense of the time of day, but also with regard to the possible duration of an event. The attempt to capture an afternoon in a single moment – or the hectic activity of flight in the stillness of a picture – particularly appeals to me. Since I was intent on simplifying the pictorial language, I find it important that they are brought back into the natural world by the colour of the corresponding time.”

Exhibitions:
Académie Conti, Le Consortium, Dijon 3/7 – 9/10/2022
Knust Kunz Gallery Editions, München, 29/9 – 12/11/2022