Candy
New Paintings and Objects by
Tim Biskup
August 9th - 31st
Opening Reception:
Saturday, August 9th, 5-8pm
At
Face Guts
4136 Verdugo Road
Los Angeles, CA 90065
In his latest exhibition Candy, Tim Biskup presents sweet objects while confronting the uneasy relationship between sincerity and market appeal.
“I wanted the paintings to feel like candy,” Biskup says, “but like candy, they’re also bad for you.” What appears colorful, sweet, and accessible is, on closer inspection, layered with vulnerability, melancholy, and a subversive emotional charge.
Candy reflects Biskup’s long-standing engagement with the contradictions of the art world—where being “taken seriously” often means conforming to systems of critical and commercial validation. Having been told early in his career that his work was “too goofy, too sentimental, too naïve,” Biskup now embraces those qualities, using them to challenge expectations and provoke deeper reflection.
At once seductive and unsettling, Candy invites viewers to question their instincts: about taste, about value, and about what art is supposed to be.
To be added to the Candy price list preview please email info@faceguts.com.
Candy Artist Statement:
If you feel like you already understand the paintings on the wall, feel free to stop reading. This statement, like the art, isn’t meant to convince you of anything specific. I’ve been encouraged to share some thoughts about them and if you’re into that sort of thing, by all means, read on. Thanks for looking!
When I began this body of work, my intention was to create paintings that were enjoyable—seductive, even. Part of me hoped you’d want to buy them. That desire has always been complicated, and I believe most artists, if they’re honest, struggle with it. We are constantly negotiating the space between sincerity and marketability.
In art school, I was frustrated by the conversations surrounding “serious” work. I hadn’t yet realized that to be taken seriously often meant producing art that was legible within a market—work that curators, critics, and collectors could rally around, that would accrue symbolic and financial value, and that would tell others you were culturally literate. I don’t mind the conversation about how to make sellable work. I just wish we all knew what we were talking about. I thought we were talking about what made work good. The message I received was that mine wasn’t. In 1986, it was considered too goofy, too sentimental, too naïve. Being told I’d never be taken seriously led me to drop out of school and seek another professional ambition. Obviously, I found my way back.
This current work is, in some ways, a response to that experience. I wanted these paintings to be pleasurable—like candy—but, like candy, they’re not without consequence. They’re “bad for you” in that they’re trying to separate you from your hard earned cash. They may also be smuggling in some difficult feelings. According to my brother, Stefan; “They’re not just sweet—they’re insidious.”
- Tim Biskup
For press and purchase inquiries please email info@faceguts.com.