In ‘Simple People’, Danish artist Rasmus Sandberg Sloth has adhered to a very particular aesthetic; blank white canvases with small, seemingly unfinished portraits in the centre as the focal point. Working with acrylic glue on primed canvas, Rasmus’ series of portraits imbue a sense of naïveté and child-like splendor. The portraits themselves stand out as crisp points of focus within the expanse of white canvas.
‘Simple People’ is the manipulation of the white space itself, which provides an additional layer of complexity to the work. Rasmus pours a thick coat of lacquer over the entire surface of the canvas – a tongue-in-cheek play on the process of Chinese Ming vases being lacquered. It is a creative destruction of the canvas – a destruction that creates curiosity and interest from the viewer.
RTIST Gallery
12 June to 8 July, 2014
Melbourne
The French Chef Simple People, 2014, acrylic glue, primed canvas, 150 x 180cm
Courtesy the artist and RTIST Gallery, Melbourne
