Inspired by a book of the same name by David Batchelor, The Luminous and the Grey brings the artists’ distinct practices together to explore two disparate but interdependent concepts, luminosity and greyness. Each artist explores their own relationship with these concepts: Curtis through nearly grey abstract tiles applied to panels using highly saturated paint as mortar, and Haulotte through representational paintings of digital collages rendered over vivid high chroma grounds. On the inside cover of the book, Batchelor states “The Luminous and the Grey is a voyage to the places where colour comes into being and where it fades away, an inquiry into when colour begins and when it ends, both in the material world and in the imagination . . . After considering the place of colour in some creation myths, in industrial chemistry, in recent thinking on optics and in the modern city, this book culminates in a meditation on the unique colour that is also a non-colour, a mood, a feeling, an existential condition and even an insult: grey.” Considering the qualities of luminosity and greyness addressed in the text, the works in this exhibition underscore the way these decidedly different color attributes thrive on opposition. Each artist uses a contrasting approach to engage the viewer’s perception, encouraging them to take a more thoughtful look at color as well as their own sensory experience.

Cullen Curtis is a sculptural painter from St. Louis Missouri, currently living and working in Kansas City. Using wood and power tools, as well as paint and mark-making tools, his works explore themes of entropy, particularly as seen in the built environment. Cullen draws inspiration from cracks and stains in the sidewalk, abandoned buildings, sloppy repair jobs, and other evidence of the passage of time. Cullen began his artistic career as a printmaker in St. Louis. During this time he developed a particular interest in the processes and materials of artmaking, as well as the subtractive nature of woodblock printing. In 2017 Cullen enrolled at KCAI, originally for printmaking but his increased interest in process and materials eclipsed his former illustrative style, and he switched to the painting department. In 2020 Cullen graduated from KCAI with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting. In 2021 his paintings were featured in the publication New American Paintings’ 149th issue, and were shown at Cullen’s first solo show En Plein Air at Granite City Art & Design District (GCADD) in St. Louis. Following this show Cullen was featured for an interview on the podcast Cool WIP. His works have also been shown at Vulpes Bastille, Kansas City Artists Coalition (virtual exhibition,) Dodge Gallery, Concrete Ocean, and Bedford Gallery.

Bobby Haulotte is an artist working primarily in painting and installation. In his paintings, hard edge shapes made up of saturated color, various marks, and fragments of images are used to physically reconstruct digital collages. Visual elements from various contexts such as memes, computer vision, algorithmic painting tools, and snapshots of miscellaneous textures are applied to alter the compositions, creating a chaotic arrangement of references to contemporary experience. His work is influenced by the effects of technology on image making and sharing, the mediated nature of perception, and cognitive biases shared by humans and the artificial intelligence we create. Bobby lives and works in Kansas City, MO. He received his BFA in painting from the Kansas City Art Institute in 2018 and has shown in exhibitions at spaces including H&R Block Artspace, Leedy-Voulkos Art Center, Haw Contemporary, Plug Projects, George A. Spiva Center for the Arts, Front/Space, and Mount Analogue.

For more information on the artists in the show, visit bobbyhaulotte.com and cullencurtis.squarespace.com and follow them on instagram @hobbybaulotte and @cullencurtis

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