GATHERING Roonstraße 108 Cologne
Gathering is pleased to present Brick boys, British artist Laurie Smith’s European debut solo exhibition at Gathering Cologne this November. Laurie Smith renders his figures in perpetual motion, their bodies twisting, dancing, reaching restlessly towards their next thrill. Moving at a velocity that feels both exuberant and uneasy, his subjects’ puppet-like gestures recall Balthus, one of Smith’s twentieth-century touchstones, yet these are no marionettes. Smith’s characters pull their own strings, leaping and sprinting through the worlds he renders on canvas.
Set against the grey pavements of London, Smith’s newest works depict friends and lovers as they slip through the night. As his work moves into the city, Smith’s meticulous focus on architecture and bricks takes inspiration from Martin Wong’s paintings of his New York surroundings, marginal communities and urban gentrification. A recurrent theme for the artist is that of queer nightlife. Earlier this year, an exhibition of his paintings in London captured the intimate ballrooms and clubs of the city’s queer scene. Brick boys takes Smith’s exploration out of pubs, basements and warehouses and onto the streets, with London’s pavestones becoming liminal stages for new emotional and narrative possibilities.
Photography by Ollie Hammick
