Over the Influence, Hong Kong Acquired from the above by the present owner
Exhibited
Hong Kong, Over the Influence, Cleon Peterson: Purity, 21 - 31 January 2016
Catalogue Essay
With an aesthetic rooted in clean graphic design, Los-Angeles-based artist Cleon Peterson has established a name for his monochromatic dystopian scenes governed by violence and chaos. As embodied in Backstabber, the striking visual world reflected in Peterson's works is filled with references to power, submission and mortality. Drawing inspiration from Classical art, in particular the scenes of warriors in battle that adorned ancient Greco-Roman vases, the deviant characters in Peterson's contemporary works are rendered in clean lines and a starkly minimalist colour palette that immediately draws the eye in.
Executed in 2015, Backstabber is as mesmerising as it is disturbing, featuring a pair of figures entangled in a violent struggle. Rendered without context, the hostile scene portrayed symbolises the reality observed by Peterson within the current global socio-political situation. In discussing why his work focuses on scenes of chaos, Peterson explains: 'People think you have an obligation, as an artist, to project positivism and not be critical. But in my world, all the art I've always responded to works against that, is critical, and is a commentary on the status quo' (Cleon Peterson quoted in Braudie Blais-Billie, 'Interview: Cleon Peterson Talks Depicting Society's Violence and Deviating From ‘The Rules’ in His Art', Complex, 30 July 2014, online). Peterson's provocative works confront viewers with a necessary call to action.