There are artists appreciated exclusively by playing a role within a certain genre or aesthetic, and then there are artists who simply make you stop, look and tell your friends. Laurie Lipton is among the latter. Her twisted, exquisitely detailed drawings simply galvanize the viewer and force the mind to unravel toward thoughts of death and machinery.
On display at Ace Gallery is a collection of Lipton’s newer works, unified by the banner: ‘L.A. – Sous Real’. Featuring grim interpretations of everything from reality TV to cosmetic surgery to wall-to-wall traffic, Lipton exposes her audience to the depraved mechanized rituals lying just beneath the surface of their own everyday lives.
At the core of Lipton’s tribute is perhaps the fickleness of the human spirit. It grows shapeless and hard like old clay in the face of corporate protocol. It’s petted into submission by luxury, pleasure and the flash of camera bulbs. Our ability to be so easily duped by convenience will one day enable a desolate, apocalyptic landscape littered with skulls and wires. The line between mankind and its wonderful creations is so carefully skewed in Lipton’s drawings that she renders us wondering who is slave to whom.
Laurie Lipton’s ‘L.A. Sous-Real’ runs through September 8th, 2012 at ACE Gallery.
Connect with Platinum Cheese
