Chris Booth - Sucker-Punch
May 24 - Jun 11
"Sucker-punch" is the culmination of twelve years of what has been an eclectic artistic enterprise since "accidentally" stumbling across art college.
Less influenced by the "high-art"
painters of the pop-art genre, I continually refer to and find inspiration
in the graphic narratives of comic book illustration, particularly Japanese
anime. Manga and the "super-flat" movement led by artists
such as Takashi Murakami have also fed into the design process and the
realisation of this body of work. Lichtenstein goes to Osaka.
"Sucker-punch"
embraces what I refer to as "Super-Pop"; a neo-pop marriage
of painting and sculpture, smoke and mirrors. The methods and technical
trickery I employ in these paintings have developed in the studio and
through various practices that I have chosen to expose myself to in
order to support my art habit. These include theatre set construction,
animated puppet making, specialty theatre props and scenic art for companies
such as Queensland Theatre Company, Queensland Ballet and Queensland
Performing Arts Centre. The lateral thinking, problem solving and technical
vocabulary required for working in such diverse mediums has challenged,
and been invaluable to, my personal artistic vision. My fine arts training
in design, ceramics and sculpture continue to underlie my practice.
Having said all of that, the genesis of this artistic process began with me as a young boy sitting in the corner of the library reading Tin Tin comics, lost in the world of illustrative adventure, long before the encroachment of adult responsibility. This exhibition is about heroines and villains, the excitement of finding a box of matches, shooting targets and "bird watching".
Chris Booth, Brisbane, 2006
