Martin Wittfooth at Copro Nason Gallery
by The themes in Martin Wittfooth’s work don post-apocalyptic dystopias, leaving the viewer wondering if, in fact, they were the god that brought the wrath, or a mere viewer of a world not yet known. He and our mutual friend Jon Todd stopped through San Francisco to hang out this week and I managed to get a little inside scoop on his upcoming show, Sandcastles in the Tide, opening at Copro Nason Gallery in Los Angeles this Saturday. Talk to me a little bit about the theme behind this body of work. ‘This body of work is about nature reclaiming what was once taken from it, and continues to be a recurring theme for me. These paintings, in particular, are somewhat darker. I chose a lot of similar iconography in the paintings to tie in with what I feel shows human’s destructive tendencies’. There are a lot of references to things on fire, or nuclear power in your work, tell us about that.
‘The iconography that I’m using in references to war and conflict, bombs, fire, and so on, are an attempt to play with our subconscious fears and make reference to the dark side of humanity. These are visual clues to potential outcomes. I enjoy playing with symbols of conflict, without being completely specific about what that conflict is.
What’s the greatest challenge as gallery artist?
‘I’m not sure I find it all that challenging to show in galleries, but I do have aspirations to find a more permanent home for my work in the near future. So, in that regard, I guess I’d say that the process of figuring out where is the best place for my work can be somewhat tricky’.
Tagged: Los Angeles galleries
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