This series of work is inspired by the notion of travel and the separation of self that comes with voyaging into the unknown.
Schlomer Haus Gallery presents Passing through the Soft Storm, by London based abstract-figurative painter Adam Baker, his first solo exhibition in the US. This series of work is inspired by the notion of travel and the separation of self that comes with voyaging into the unknown. The paintings in this new collection of work exist in a psychological space of quiet inquiry - a space where one can gain unique understanding into the truth of one’s own existence. Here, traveling is an invitation to indulge in the clarity of distance through transience, a call to reflect and gain perspective from a lens on the world outside the blinders of daily routine.
Rooted firmly in the artist’s personal experiences of travel, each painting implements a stream of consciousness technique in order to better see what emerges from his own mind during specific pe- riods of his past. With keen attention to the emotions of color, form, and light, these paintings portray evocative characters suspended in a moment of self-reflection where they remain in the fragment of time between choices. The cigarette has been smoked, yet still burns in the ashtray. The open window marks conflicting thoughts between the anticipation of escape and reflection on past adventure. Each choice in these thoughtfully captured moments as well as its opposite have been made, leaving the figures in this point of ultimate tension; the consequences of choice haunt the paintings like unknow- ing omens.
Additionally, a continuous theme at the heart in Baker’s work is an earnest reflection of queer po- sitioning. In a world not designed for queer people, a constant journey towards seeking belonging, meaning and connection is necessary and unavoidably influential. This theme of “otherness” is rep- resented throughout these works by the presence of pigeons, a species living in a world not built for them. Yet, as much as they are overlooked, they are a beautiful constant in our lives, adapting and flourishing despite their environment. In these paintings, they are claimed as a symbol of a yearning for queer acceptance.
