brach tiller at louis buhl & co.
GYMNASIA
“Working in oil and acrylic, Tiller’s paintings are perfectly rendered in a manner that blends the real and the fictitious, taking direct inspiration from the ubiquitous objects he encounters daily. His latest body of work looks to the modern day gym as groundwork for his otherworldly scenes, paying tribute to the rekindled love for exercise he has adapted in his adult life.
Upon determining his subject, Tiller develops his compositions in a digital software, manipulating and rendering uncanny forms and physics to generate a new discourse that confuses the original understanding of these objects. The scenes are then translated into paint using artificially-driven color palettes that heighten an unearthliness in his work. Transforming the artist’s lived experiences into precise, two-dimensional renderings, Tiller’s process presents an odd and unrealized world that mimics reality in theatrical displays on canvas.”
The digital origins of these pieces explain the hyperrealism. There is a definitive absence of paint strokes. What makes these images interesting is their composition. Old Soles appears to be some kind of foosball raft plowing through 8-foot rapids on an extraterrestrial river. The only color deviation from the Soylent greens are tiny purple and umber beads embellishing the watercraft.
Reflektor’s overhead perspective peers down into chimneys filled with mint green phosphorescent liquid. These structures accompanied by presumable rock formations are submerged in a plum lake creating ghostly, mysterious depth.
Dumbbells defy gravity in this unnatural landscape which translates more apocalyptic than Tiller’s other scenes. The balanced pair reminds of stone stacking in the American Southwest deserts.
Noticeably smaller than the other works, MMMI is no less impactful. An ordinary padlock becomes a monolith jammed into a mountain range and reflected in an aubergine pool.
This exhibition contains only five paintings but have the strength to carry the space through artificially heightened coloration and bold forms. Tiller organizes mundane subjects into such peculiar terrains, only the bravest explorer has the nerve to investigate.
On view through April 10th at Louis Buhl & Co 1260 Library Street (Alley) Detroit
*images are mine
direct quote from gallery materials
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