HONG KONG.- Over the Influence is presenting (synthetic reality), the first exhibition of Russian-American artist Gosha Levochkin in Hong Kong. Best known for his larger-scale acrylic works in the tradition of ligne claire, the show presents a new body of work by Levochkin inspired by his childhood memory with cars. The exhibition is open from 21 August to 26 September 2020 at the Lower Gallery of Over the Influence.
The difference between folklore and reality is only a manner of storytelling.
Today’s world is different from before. Information is dispersed and digested in a multitude of ways, and what once was discerned by knowledge and experience is now told to us as a story. A story that for some is very real - a story that can easily be turned into reality with only the right intention.
In Gosha Levochkin’s new paintings, the story reigns king. The top and bottom of compositions are interchangeable, gravity seems to work in all directions, and the point of view from which the viewer experiences the story determines its outcome. Inspired by his youthful obsession with cars, Levochkin tells the story of childhood playtime. Growing up in Russia, kids would play inside abandoned cars and nothing seemed more exciting than a brand-new automobile. Levochkin’s new works use the car as an anchor to reality while simultaneously disorienting the point of view of the narrative. Is the car crushing the girl, or is she dancing triumphantly on its undercarriage? What is story and what is truth?
Levochkin is a Russian-American painter; as a child, he moved from Russia to California learning very early on the importance of adaptation as a cultural survival skill. The embodiment of this skill has been a coherent and prevalent theme throughout his work. His signature characters both create and solve problems within the spatial environment of the canvas. His work represents the harmonious interactions of subjects, who naturally dismissing the bounds of cultural hegemony, are able to overcome and adapt to complicated situations.
Born in 1986 in Moscow, Russia, Levochkin relocated to Los Angeles, CA one year after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He is a self-taught artist, learning much of his skills while working at the famed art supply store Blue Rooster. Levochkin has exhibited in group and solo exhibitions throughout the United States and will have his first international solo exhibition at Over the Influence, Hong Kong in 2020.
