ARTIST SPOTLIGHT ON LUCAS THORIK
Lucas Thorik (b.1973)is a Dutch abstract artist who’s large-scale canvases bridge the worlds of art, design, psychology and music.
Thorik actively avoids seeking external art historical inspiration, preferring to create untitled pieces that explore a pure and personal abstraction. Despite this insular process, the influences of music and design infiltrate his practice. The artist’s application of paint is a symphony formed of ecru, earthy tones, misty blues and greys, that mirror the sound frequencies of Techno and House Music. These gritty, urbanite plains are then imbued with luminescent spray-paint, building a euphoric climax to the canvases, resulting in compositions that echo the experimental and unexpected musical patterns explored throughout his career as a DJ. The energetic flecks of neon seen in Thorik’s canvases are reminiscent of the surprising glitches heard in live sets and originate from his teenage days spray-painting flashes of yellow, orange and pink onto T-Shirts for the 80s surf crowd. The layering process involved in each piece reflects the evolving nature of life and its various incarnations.
My work is currently on view in a solo exhibition ‘equilibrium’ at The ARX . (@the_arx_london) gallery in Knightsbridge. The exhibition will run until 31st January and explores the space created between opposing forces
Tell us about your greatest inspirations or influences please.
As a painter I have always been intrigued by large-scale pieces and works by the Greats held in Museums or private homes. Combined with the fascination of how an artwork can provide eternal enjoyment makes me want to create over and over again.
How are the current trends in technology and innovation affecting your work as a creative?
From the perspective of physically painting, it’s not affecting my work at all. For me painting is a timeless act. Pieces are the outcome of a certain action in a certain moment created during a certain state of conscientious, all of this is captured on a canvas. Digital work always feels a bit like cheating to me, it’s somewhat easier to click on the perfect colour and right tone, there’s less engagement with the pigments. However, I do see a bright future in the metaverse. Things like it being easier to engage with an artwork, emulating the emotional feeling of standing close to a painting as you can in a museum.
We’d love to hear more about your creative process.
As an abstract painter I always feel something when I start a painting, but never have a pre-planned direction. I am easily triggered by small details when I’m cruising around the city, the outlines of a group of buildings, part of a sign, even trees or flowers. A momentary glimpse can inspire a whole body of work. This combined with my interest in music, fashion and design leads my art. From this point I search for the right aesthetic balance in the pieces. I tend to work on several paintings at the same time to ensure this equilibrium.
What do you think of the art world and how it works in general?
As you mentioned it’s a world on its own. One of the better things social media has brought to the people is being able to showcase your work to a much bigger and more diverse audience. This is another reason why I think the “Metaverse” is a big step forward in being able to see and feel art in the near future. It will widen our view on dimensions and engage our emotions. The industry will change, but it should be more than just digitalising works into NFT’s.
Anything coming up that we should know about?
I plan to start working on some more sculptural art in 2023. Stay tuned!
What does wellbeing mean to you and anything in particular that you practice?
My art is a pure reflection of my state of emotions, translated into paint and other mediums onto the physical canvas. The outcome is often big open white spaces with hues of vibrant neon colours fighting to get through the misty plaster-layered whites. Feeling positive results in a good painting. I’m not seeking perfection in the paint, but for a cohesive and completely stable outcome in the works.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
As someone who needs to use a lot of words to express feelings I always will try to reassess what I’ve said and start over again…. Feel free to reach out on my insta @lucas_thorik if you have any questions and please contact enquiries@thearx.com for details on available artworks.
