Choke – Ed Lust
In Choke Christchurch-based artist Ed Lust interlaces fields of colour with responsive layering to achieve works full of depth and movement.
In the downstairs gallery we are introduced to Lust’s art through a series of works comprised of linked forms. In each the colours bleed along stringy lines ending in organic bulbs. These energetic shapes leap about the paper space creating tension and movement which Lust intensifies with accents of bright colour.
Continuing around the space and upstairs, nebulous ambient works become the focus. In these Lust manipulates, layers and blends pigment to create moments of harmony which conflict against areas of clashing colours. Through overpainting washes in a method Lust refers to as ‘choking’, fragments of the underlayers show through the gaps. Lust embraces such imperfections in the medium in their ability to generate new organic compositions. The works are challenging to the eye but in that complexity they ask the viewer to navigate and discover the rich details.
In their watery ambiguity the works are viewable as a toxic pools, neon nebulas or candied cells, the overall effect being one of floating and frothing. The playful spirit of the titles further asks the viewer to create links and relationships between form and actuality. In his installation arrangement the artist engages the gallery spaces, welcoming the viewer to explore this body of work in a way that reflects the tone of the pieces.
Ed Lust is a Christchurch-based artist who works in a variety of mediums. As a Masters student at the University of Canterbury Fine Arts Film School, he exhibited works of art-film, painting, sculpture and photography. He has collaborated and exhibited throughout New Zealand.
Often playful, at times intense, his works share a love of colour, refined forms and repetition. As an artist who has worked in film, Ed’s passion for shifting scales and aesthetic complexities is present in his work across mediums.