Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

Preview: Peter Ferguson’s “Prime Meridian” and “Uchronia” Group Show at Roq La Rue

April is a big month for Seattle's Roq La Rue Gallery, with three shows all opening tonight. In their main room, Peter Ferguson presents a new collection of rust-hued paintings set sometime in the 19th century for his solo show, "Prime Meridian." In this series, anachronistic villagers and city dwellers encounter increasingly more surreal characters than previously seen in his past work. Monsters invade old-fashioned pubs, schools, and manors — perhaps pointing to the monstrosities of the colonial period, the real-world context his work can't escape.


April is a big month for Seattle’s Roq La Rue Gallery, with three shows all opening tonight. In their main room, Peter Ferguson presents a new collection of rust-hued paintings set sometime in the 19th century for his solo show, “Prime Meridian.” In this series, anachronistic villagers and city dwellers encounter increasingly more surreal characters than previously seen in his past work. Monsters invade old-fashioned pubs, schools, and manors — perhaps pointing to the monstrosities of the colonial period, the real-world context his work can’t escape.

Also on view in the main gallery, “Uchronia” is a small group show featuring artists that have long been on Roq La Rue’s roster, as well as some new additions. Femke Hiemstra, Lindsey Carr, Scott Musgrove, Jessica McCourt, Derek Knobbs, Syd Bee, and Olivia Knapp were invited to imagine alternative histories for real-life events or existing tales, resulting in many works with magical realist elements. In the project room, Amanda Manitach also has her show, “Whiskey Helps,” a collection of quirky illustrations with bittersweet messages. Check out a preview for “Uchronia” and “Prime Meridian” below.

Peter Ferguson, “Prime Meridian”:

“Uchronia” group show:


Scott Musgrove


Olivia Knapp


Femke Hiemstra

Lindsey Carr

Meta
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles
Blending horror, humor, and fantasy, Peter Ferguson shows new work in a show at Roq La Rue titled “Mock Robin.” Running Nov. 2 through Nov. 28, the show places monsters, strange machines, and other strange elements in scenes that traverse history. The venue says his work recalls “Dutch Renaissance painting, old National Geographic photography, and 18th century British Naval history.” Ferguson was last featured on HiFructose.com here.
Sometimes our crassest jokes reveal our hidden anxieties, while other times we create beautiful rituals surrounding that which we fear. It's human nature to make light of death in order to not be consumed by the often incomprehensible idea of mortality. Examining a spectrum of responses to this difficult subject, Seattle gallery Roq La Rue recently collaborated with The Piranha Shop for a touring exhibition, "Boxes of Death." Featuring well-known artists from the Pop Surrealist and low brow currents — like Camille Rose Garcia, Isabel Samaras and Casey Weldon — the show hit stops in LA, Portland and San Francisco and will be exhibited in Seattle for one night only at The Piranha Shop tomorrow, October 17.
Through a unique process of applying thin, translucent layers of monochromatic, acrylic paint to a panel over and over, Travis Louie (HF Vol. 32 cover artist) mimics the effect of 19th-century photography. Though filled with fantastical characters, his works have an effect of verisimilitude much like historical documents from the Victorian and Edwardian periods. For his latest solo show, "Archive of Lost Species," which opens at Roq La Rue Gallery in Seattle on May 7, Louie abandons the studio portrait format we've seen before. Instead, his latests works look like snapshots of strange monsters, sometimes observed in the wild and sometimes interacting with their human counterparts.
Seattle based artist Casey Weldon, first featured in HF Vol. 32, paints colorful and glowing works with nostalgic pop references and a touch of humor. In recent years, his paintings have become increasingly mystical, taking otherwise everyday places and animals and giving them a luminous, candy-colored twist. For his current exhibition at Roq la Rue gallery in Seattle, "Hastemaker", Weldon builds upon his vibrantly colored, dreamlike world. It goes far beyond his "cute-gross" style, as he describes it.

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List