Stux Gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibition of new paintings by Australian
painter Darren Wardle. Wardle's new paintings explore the extended possibilities of the
painting process, resulting in seamless, nearly cinematic urban landscapes.
Continually exploring new “spaces” such as those produced by the aftereffects of
industry’s impact on the landscape, Wardle attempts to realize the “unreal” in his quest to
capture manmade urban abstractions. Invoking the now iconic architectural phenomenon
of the suburban office-scape, the artist, who sites Ridley Scott’s 1980’s classic cult film
Bladerunner as a major influence, renders a seemingly post-apocalyptic view of his
subjects.
Wardle’s painting process is multifaceted, and begins with photography. Combining
original photographic prints, transparencies and projections, he ultimately utilizes digital
technology to create sublime layered synthetic topographies. The resulting works are
made, without exception, by hand, in oils with a brush, and do not employ the use of
airbrushing or other elaborate painting devices.
Through an amalgam of similar architectural elements (futuristic swimming pools,
parking lots and office buildings) Wardle highlights the temporal nature of architecture.
The paintings are sparse, creating an eerily familiar sense of place, a sort of architectural
Déjà Vu, with landscapes free from the constraints of geographic distance and urban
planning.