equilibrium, a solo exhibition of artworks by Dutch artist Lucas Thorik, opens The ARX’s winter programme. Thorik’s vibrant show brings serenity during an intense period of December festivities, and hope over the coldest, darkest January days.
Exploring the space created between opposing forces, Thorik’s powerful abstract canvases continue the artist’s exploration of balance. Whether this is created through texture from his coarse application of impasto white plaster (which is then superposed by a misting of spray paint), colour (from white to vibrant neons), or size (a vast canvas contrasted by a small square), the artist’s pursuit for internal balance is marked in each piece.
Today, Thorik works on his canvases directly onto the floor using multi-media across several canvases at one time, mirroring the Abstract Expressionists before him, to ensure there are equal parts of stability and energy in his series.
Staying within the boundaries of the canvas is a form of therapy for the artist. Just as viewing the works is a meditative process for the viewer, the creative process provides a tonic for Thorik. Within the canvases there are linear forms, reflecting the search for control, while the occasional curved and swollen shapes echo moments of ecstatic release.
Despite the overall composed quality of Thorik’s works, through his practice, he does not aim to present a perfect world, altered and contorted. Instead he exhibits the unfiltered and real, its edges are rough and its meaning is left open to interpretation with closer analysis.
