Statement

Chicago-based American artist Larry Eppley creates abstract compositions that reflect subjects of imminence and belief. Spinning through the aesthetic grist of Pop and Neo Expressionist artists– from Keith Haring to Jean Michel Basquiat – Eppley combines the intensity, moment and passion of real life with universal themes that transcend public and private notions.

Like odes to his generational heroes, Eppley captures the zeitgeist of the early 80s in his tableaus, punctuated by contemporary layers of humor, irony and irreverence.

Eppley’s work embraces an uncensored punk sensibility while upholding the traditions of action painting. The result is a style that can best be described as “embodied abstraction” – one that skillfully weaves the essence of timeless masterpieces and societal shifts. Eppley chronicles sweeping effects of global events such as the pandemic, uprisings, and cultural norms on the collective human psyche.

Eppley's bold and uninhibited use of color, coupled with raw emotion and literalism, seemingly random lines, shapes, and lack of shading, inform the viewer about his personal expression and gesture, rather than an anonymous cultural critique. Working across vibrant acrylics, oil sticks, markers and Japanese ink, the artist forgoes traditional media application in favor of hardware store inspired implements to move paint. His renegade technique results in textured surfaces that lend depth to his creations.

Incorporating elements reminiscent of street art, Eppley appropriates fragments of low-cultural ephemera to construct tableaus infused with graffiti, a dense network of text inscriptions that are then overlaid with stylized imagery.

A distinctive hallmark of Eppley's work is his Pop-Art inspired Fairy logo, a recurring motif portraying a stick figure topped with a three-pointed crown. Through the use of serial repetition, the mischievous Fairy takes the place of a Greek chorus to bear witness and testify to the dramatic action of the art.