VIEWING ROOM

LUKE CHISWELL
’NO GOOD, NO GOOD, GOOD’

Jerico Contemporary is delighted to present our fourth solo exhibition with Australian artist Luke Chiswell, ‘no good, no good, good’. The exhibition opened on Thursday 4th February and will continue through to Saturday 27th February 2021.

Known for his work on abstracting language to its furthest point, the interplay between meaning and mis meaning are key themes of Chiswell’s practice. ‘no good, no good, good’ sees the exploration and rejection of the linear art making process that traditionally travels from start to finish, which drives Chiswell to consider the ideas of process and method in his practice. Studying trial and error, while documenting overlooked moments of development, he expands on gestural mark making with focus placed on his signature script. Recurring letters and titles are revealed in a new series of vibrant screen prints — though these expressions aren’t always legible. In doing so, he establishes his own vocabulary through asemic writing, reflecting the repetitive nature of language and thereby enhancing the possibilities of interpretation. 

In the several screen prints from his new body of work, ‘working titles’, Chiswell borrows from hardware store colour swatches that he’s used as a tool for planning and developing titles throughout his practice. “I’ve always written my titles on colour swatches. Perhaps as a consequence of my synesthesia, I enjoy considering the energy of a title through colour. I needed to scale them up to give them weight,” explains Chiswell. Through this gesture, the artist instigates a re-valuing of their nature from a tool to a significant element within his work. Instigating this shift, what was once a utilitarian device used to achieve an end result now becomes essential to the final artwork. Where in previous bodies of work the use of scale and crop have been crucial, and ambiguous phrases never fully disclosed, this series sees Chiswell’s wordplay become clearer. Paint swatches coloured ‘swinging pink’ and ‘blue cashmere’ give way to quipped expressions in black, ‘MAYBE BABY’, ‘PRETTY PRETTY’, ‘BACK TO BEING STRANGERS’. Riffing on the repetition of everyday language, Chiswell draws attention to the crossword-like relationships the ‘working titles’ form within themselves. Further blurring the line between process and completion, Chiswell leaves visible signs of the canvas stretching process, with the nails of his staple gun marking the edge of each frame. The artist notes, “To me these works serve as a reminder to keep my eyes open along the way”.

IN THE STUDIO:

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY:

Luke Chiswell was born in Australia. His solo exhibitions include 'UNDAWAY FO', Jerico Contemporary, Sydney (2020), 'Thought It Was But It Wasn’t’, Jerico Contemporary, Sydney (2020), 'Wish It Would Last', Jerico Contemporary, Sydney (2019), 'Digging in the Dark', Tributary Gallery, Canberra (2017), 'Borrow Tomorrow', Nishi Gallery, Canberra (2017), 'So Far So Good', Thompson House, Los Angeles (2016), 'To Young To Win Too Old Too Lose', TT Gallery, Sydney (2015), 'Touch Line', Chasm Gallery, New York (2015), 'As It Goes', Nishi Gallery, Canberra (2015), 'Have a Lovely Day', Friend Gallery, Canberra (2014), 'New Work New York', Union Avenue, Brooklyn (2014), 'Straight Face', Nishi Gallery, Canberra (2014), and 'Face Facing', Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Canberra (2013). His group exhibitions include ‘Fire Fight’, Nishi' Gallery Canberra (2020). Recent residencies include Unit 1 Gallery in London (2019) and Tappan Collective in Los Angeles (2019). The artist currently lives and works between Los Angeles and New York, USA.