Executed in 2016, Globe Trotter is a stunning example of Henry Gunderson’s interest in hyperrealism and consumerism. Reminiscent of Dutch polyptychs from the 15th century with its compartmentalized composition, the present work showcases a large-scale story spanning several narratives and influences. Gunderson’s use of bright, contrasting colors to depict each of these images highlights the obsessive traits of the consumer and offers an experience like that of Times Square: overwhelming and endlessly in motion.
“Painting for me is a process of unlearning and relearning what I have established as true without ever arriving at any definite understanding. I embrace the uncertainty of my practice in a constant effort to forget what I know.”
—Henry Gunderson
This process of “forgetting” what is “known” echoes throughout the imagery in Globe Trotter. Gunderson positions an androgynous, seemingly ancient figure to the left, whose arm is stitched into the fabric of the sneaker. This same arm funnels into a line of stitches on top of the sneaker and eventually into what appears to be a fragmented car door, neighboring the shoelaces and above a spider-webbed tree. The result is a Dalí-like experience of abutting storylines and a comedic interpretation of time. Creatures are hidden among these shapes, with eyes shining through the sole of the sneaker and a curious blue creature with long hair looking down at them. The surreal dimension is further heightened with the stiletto to the right: we are looking at a shoe within a shoe—an homage to the difficult and inspiring relationship between signified and signifier. Each image in Globetrotter invites the viewer to examine their value and what their true form is; whether partial or whole, the resulting image is uniquely symphonic.
Born in 1990 in San Francisco, Gunderson has had solo exhibitions at 247365, New York, Carl Kostyál, London and other galleries in the United States and abroad.
