Adrian Cox - Lights in the Forest

About

Lights in the Forest is an exhibition of new paintings by Adrian Cox . Opening reception : Saturday, December 12th, 5pm – 8.30pm. This exhibition will run from December 13th to January 10th and will coincide with Sean Layh's solo show, Recent Works . We have also released limited edition prints of The Lost Spectral Witnesses V and The Lantern Lighters . The paintings of Adrian Cox chronicle the lives of the Border Creatures, a group of hybrid beings that live in the verdant wilderness of the Borderlands. This personal mythology draws on myriad references and blends elements of art history, science fiction, mythic archetypes and Cox’s experience growing up in a closeted queer family. His works challenge how we define the monstrous and “the other” and propose a reconsideration of the categories of the natural and the transgressive. These overarching themes are grounded in the lives of recurring characters and play out in the actions of those that wander the Borderlands. In Cox's mythology, the Border Creatures exist in symbiotic harmony with the natural world. These gentle creatures are antagonised by the Specters, spirits of blue energy that casually burn the landscape that they walk upon. When these spirits first appeared, the destruction that they brought to the ecosystem of the Borderlands drove the creatures into hiding. The Border Creatures eventually triumphed over the Specters when Healer, the leader of the creatures, transformed many of the Specters into rainbow-hued Spectral Witnesses. Although a tense truce now holds between these groups, the residents of the Borderlands prepare for an inevitable return to strife. The paintings in this exhibition follow the blue Specters, rainbow Witnesses and Border Creatures as they navigate a world fraught with conflict, danger and uncertainty. In spite of their obstacles, these characters manage to find hope in the beauty of the natural world and the spiritual bonds of community. Adrian Cox is a painter based in Los Ang