Sydney Exhibition
Luke Foster
Opens Thursday 28 September, 6 – 8pm
Runs 28 September – 8 October, 2023
A multi-dimensional solo show by artist Luke Foster, whose creative focus spans performance, drawing, sculpture and photography as he tries to answer life’s big questions through a blend of philosophical humour. Having graduated from a Master of Fine Arts (COFA, UNSW) in 1997, Luke has previously show in Sculpture by the Sea (1997), been a four-time finalist in The Border Art Prize biennial art prize and completed a range of art residencies including The Gunnery studio Woolloomooloo (2000).
With a career spanning more than 20 years, this body of work presents new video pieces alongside large scale photographs of archival performances. Installed as a video projection, his recent beach performance depicts Luke dressed as an astronaut reading a book of drawings about the Dalai Lamas Buddhist philosophy which parallel his own ideas about how humanity can eradicate poverty.
Wherever it occurs, poverty is a significant contributor to social disharmony, ill health, suffering and armed conflict. If we continue along our present path, the situation could become irreparable. This constantly increasing gap between the haves and have nots, creates suffering for everyone.
The Dalai Lama
His photographic works capture previous performance work by Luke as well as sculptural pieces, on an immersive A0 scale. Colour pen drawings, annotated and largely referential are bound in books entitled The Dalai Lamas Stray Cat, My Big Trip to Rome, Athens and Vienna, and Cabarita Loneliness Comics. On a smaller, now retro scale, a TV-DVD performance of Foster’s Charlie Chaplin Beach Performance Reading a Allstar Obama Book of Drawings and Text will also feature.
