The Middle Ages may be the completely opposite of our technological times, yet - Luke Newton argues - there are similarities between the Medieval period and the digital revolution.
A graduate of Central Saint Martins, Newton tries in his practice to bridge the gap between the age of valiant knights and the age of social networks and fans of these themes and connections shouldn't miss his solo show at the Rabouan Moussion Gallery's space inside the YIA (Young International Artists) Art Fair at Carreau du Temple, Paris.
Full armours protected Medieval knights and hid their identities to the point that it was difficult or rather impossible to identify them; Newton uses armours in works such as "Like Me, Like You" to hint at the protection of privacy, making in this way a comparison with the virtual persona that we daily employ as a shell to protect ourselves in digital space.
Newton's knights are therefore not kneeling in an act of submissive loyalty to a king, but they are defeated by the pressure exerted by social networks.
The Facebook and Twitter logos are transformed in Newton's works into tangible languages or heraldic crest that users employ as objects of identification to highlight one's status.
In his series "Heart Shield" Newton suggests broad and round hearts can be used to decorate white shields to remind of the social networks' users signalling their approval or they could be employed to protect ourselves from unwanted criticism.
There are further Medieval references in other works. The archer in the Middle Ages shot his arrow at an apple precariously perched on someone's head, but in Newton's "Target Audience" the apple stands for the logo of the famous technology brand influencing consumers.
His helmet pierced by an arrow is a metaphor for the artist who wonders if we are still capable of thinking with our minds or if the constrictions of our society are subjecting us to painful ideas.
Art and technology prevail in the series "Hashtag Mondrian", a reference to his student years and the students' practice of copying the great masters of art history to find their own means of expression. In this series Mondrian's coloured rectangles turn into hashtag shapes, while the symbol becomes almost more important than the reality it stands for.
Luke Newton's works may not be to the liking of older art fans, but the way he has turned everyday digital symbols into an arty code while rerefencing the Middle Ages will resonate with younger gallery and art fair visitors. You can bet that, while looking at his works, in their minds they will give him a "Like".
Luke Newton, Galerie Rabouan Moussion (121 rue Vieille du Temple, Paris), stand 25, YIA Art Fair, Carreau du Temple, 2 Rue Eugène Spuller, Paris, 23-26 October 2014.
Image credit for this post
All images by Luke Newton, Courtesy Galerie Rabouan Moussion, Paris
1. Like You Like Me, 2014, 120 x 80 x 80 cm
2. Like You Like Me, 2014, 120 x 80 x 80 cm
3. Target Audience Blue, 2014, 37 x 24 x 70 cm
4. Heart Shield Blue, 2014, 62 x 53 cm
5. Hashtag Mondrian, 2014, 140 x 108 cm
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