TRAVIS LAMPE
"Small Time Buffoonist"

OPENING RECEPTION
April 6, 2024 | 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm

ON VIEW
April 6 – May 11, 2024

The topsy-turvy world portrayed in Lampe's paintings is a trip out of pandemia. Inspired by an old-timey aesthetic, from Steamboat Willie to Bette Boop and Dr. Seuss, Lampe describes his work as "a mish-mosh of those old-timey influences with some Duccio-inspired mountains and the inevitable light-switch nose.” Since 2007, the artist has shown all across the U.S. and internationally (including in London, Berlin, and Italy).

Featuring acrylic and gouache paintings, as well as sculptures, Small Time Buffoonist follows Lampe’s last solo show at CHG, All Signs Point to No (Aug. 2022), and his mini-solo’s as part of the gallery’s seven-artist show, The Magnificent Seven (Feb. 2021), and three-artist show (Feb. 2019).

Regarding his new works, Lampe says, “What is the meaning of art? Philosophers have wrestled with this question since time immemorial. Thank goodness, the wait is finally over. Speaking through my latest body of work, art is ‘pictures and stuff.’ Each piece -- whether it features a chain-smoking bird, a pathetically drunken egg man, or the quotidien trials of hell-bat motherhood -- speaks DIRECTLY to the human condition.” Adding, “You’ll see yourself in this show. It’ll be as if you were gazing at a reflection of yourself, but looking into a mirror. So, like, a three way reflection? It’s hard to explain.”

About Travis Lampe:

Artist Travis Lampe grew up in a small town in Kansas. After earning a degree in Graphic Design, he took a job in advertising as an art director in Chicago. While making ads for breakfast cereals and well-known purveyors of inexpensive furniture over a period of several years, he secretly began developing his own personal illustration style, which he describes as "a mish-mosh of those old-timey influences with some Duccio-inspired mountains and the inevitable light-switch nose," consistently inspired by the likes of Steamboat Willie, Betty Boop, and Dr. Seuss. Lampe's work has been exhibited all across the U.S. and internationally (including in London, Berlin, and Italy). Plus, Lampe has been featured in Juxtapoz, Hi-Fructose, Flavorwire, and France’s Brain Magazine, among others. He currently lives and works in Chicago.