On February 13, New York’s Joshua Liner Gallery will introduce Refuge, an exhibition of new paintings in watercolor by the Canadian artist Tristram Lansdowne. This is Lansdowne’s first solo show with the gallery. Lansdowne’s paintings of architectural ruins focus on themes of permanence, decay, and function inherent in constructed environments. Depicted with the delicacy of Roman frescoes after millennia of wear, these palimpsests carry traces of past lives, such as weathered billboards, chipped paint, graffiti, political campaign posters, or electrical wiring. The lightness of Lansdowne’s watercolors imbues these glimpses into the ravages of time with a gentle patina. Yet there’s ambiguity in his approach. An idealistic view of the past is juxtaposed with the emotional vacancy of urban decay, a circumspect view of human progress in which outmoded architectural ideas mix with discarded pieces of the landscape.

Tristam Lansdowne / Refuge
Joshua Liner Gallery
548 W. 28th Street
3rd Floor
New York NY 10001

Opening reception, Gallery II: Saturday, February 13, 6–9 PM

More Images + Info »