Recasting by Brandt Lewis

Recasting is the latest solo exhibition by Brandt Lewis who further develops the themes of staging and narrative from his 2017 show at Thienny Lee Gallery, Staging Stills. Lewis continues his format of still-life painting to present a variety of stories incorporating manikins and toy animals. The narratives within these works stage retellings of art history, animals questioning their rightful place while mourning their losses, as well as various contexts of the artist’s self-observation. Lewis cleverly ‘gets his hand’ into his paintings through the careful placement of a white director’s glove, asserting his presence in the staging of some stories.

“The manikins are retelling various art historical pictures in their own terms as well as playing at being people in other scenarios; ‘The Blind Leading the Blind’ by Bruegel is restaged by manikins without eyes, and everyday experiences become more real for the wooden figures than the ‘real’ people.” – Brandt Lewis