Experience engineer's customized art first-hand
ENGINEER turned-artist, Campbell Lak is showcasing his debut work at the Art De Sade Gallery until August 25. Entitled New Concepts, the artwork aims to transcend technology and art with customised pieces, oil paintings and drawings.
“I will be painting during the show dates where art enthusiasts can experience my art first-hand and immerse themselves in the gallery/studio installation,” comments Lak.
“Lak’s showcased is not to be missed! We are very proud to have him at the gallery and encourage all art admirers to join the opening,” says Warren Scheuer, Director at Art De Sade Gallery.
This up and coming artist from Cape Town takes inspiration from personal reference to technology and his favourite artist, Marcel Duchamp. “Duchamp eliminated the individual and handmade quality of art asserting the qualities of the object rather than the craftsmanship. In the 1960s and 1970s artists like Joseph Kosuth, Yoko Ono and Sol LeWitt completed works that completely rejected standard ideas of art - One and Three Chairs, Grapefruit and Two Open Modular Cubes/Half-Off respectively. The ideas involved in creating these artworks took precedence over traditional aesthetic and material concerns,” says Lak.
His method is simple, creative and effective. By interacting sculptures with found objects, for example, motorcycles and motorcycle helmets, Lak showcases customised pieces, oil painting and drawings transcending technology and art.
“I selected these objects because they served as tools of transport in my daily life. To put it bluntly, I believe my art is self-conscious. I specifically choose objects made in the 1960s through to 1980’s to comment on the artists of that time who developed their own visions based on Marcel Duchamp’s readymades,” comments Lak.
Supporting these found objects are conceptual paintings of geometric shapes and isometric designs, highlighting the importance of a marriage between industrial design, art and technology when creating a human built world. - Staff Writer