










Andrew Lewis
Through the found window –
Paintings of Sculptures (& a hamster),
Jan 18 - Feb 22, 2025
Through the acts of looking and seeing. What do we expect to find?
In a work of art, perhaps it’s the pleasing aesthetic interplay of shapes, lines, and colour?
Yes.
Or maybe, it’s an intriguing exploration of ideas?
Yes.
In this, his second show with the gallery, Lewis seems to be interested in the act of looking—not merely at the surface of his enigmatic sculptures, which we find depicted within the confines of a gallery, integrated into natural landscapes, or seemingly floating in space. But also with what the viewers in these charismatic paintings perceive about the inner lives of these sculptures.
Begging the question: What are the observers in each of the pictures truly looking at?
They look upon scenes (within the sculptures) which are observations of our society — as it is today, how it once was, often permitting a connection between the two.
With these tale-telling sculptures, Lewis has created a new visual language. Displaying a common thread that connects us with the past. His work reflects the inexorable, teleological progress of our species, manifested in the form of technological advances.
The painting Faraday Shielding exemplifies this, as does Unified Theory, where a simultaneously cosmic and intimate perspective reveals how electromagnetics—manifested through technologies like the telegram and radar—have served to protect the organism that is the United Kingdom.
Spectacle and the scale of sculptures are other interests of Lewis In the paintings Who’s Denise Please? and Not Only, But Also we see the playful treatment of an architectural-scale sculpture seen in two distinct yet complementary contexts. In the former, the focus lies on two intrigued viewers examining the piece. In contrast, the latter portrays a commercial retail environment where the interaction between the people within the composition becomes the focal point, rather than the sculpture itself.
Returning to the act of looking in Not Very Far from Mount Aleppo, we witness the subject of two viewers’ concerned gaze upon a hamster—a simple, rather anxious-looking creature, whose species originates from a complex and troubled region of our planet. This region will, (as all parts of the world), eventually evolve towards positive progress. Our empathy with this vulnerable rodent, is mirrored by that we see in the girls' eyes, and it's interesting to compare the warmth of welcome towards these furry mammals into Europe, with that of there human counterparts.