Kevin Earl Taylor- Strange Fiction April 4th- May 15th

Show extended through May 31st!

Kevin Earl Taylor – STRANGE FICTION
April 4th- May 31st
Opening reception Saturday, April 29th, 3-5 pm

Kevin Earl Taylor- Spirit Guide, 10” x 10” Oil on panel 2023

K. Imperial Fine Art is thrilled to announce Kevin Earl Taylor’s newest solo exhibition, STRANGE FICTION. Taylor’s meticulously crafted narratives occupy a space between the fantastical and the natural. His evocative images prompt curiosity and call for deep introspection and consideration of what it is to be conscious, to be human. The exhibition is on view by appointment from April 4th – May 15th, 2023. The gallery and artist invite the public to join them for an opening reception on Saturday, April 29th, from 3-5 pm.

Taylor paints points of encounter, pairing animals and occasionally people in contemplative moments. His subjects face off with an air of mystery, as they seem to be sorting out their relationships to each other as well as their place in the larger natural world. Each composition hints at a message to be divulged or a lesson to be learned, like an obscure alternative collection of Aesop’s Fables. In STRANGE FICTION Taylor has elected to forgo overt human elements in favor of a more oblique approach:

“Historically, animals have been used to tell stories and present ideas, and this language resonates with me. The intentional use of these subjects implants a primal innocence into the work, all at once charged with emotion but devoid of distractions such as identity and miscommunication. This absence of humanity enables the viewer to access the sub-layers of consciousness and contemplate the pieces on a deeper level, as one might a mirror, and look through them rather than at them.”

Kevin Earl Taylor – Parabola 47” x 47” Oil, enamel, and acrylic on panel 2023

The painstakingly detailed execution of Taylor’s paintings lends a sheen of authenticity to what are often surreal narratives. This enhanced sense of realism is simultaneously jarring and grounding. Though his works are often ascribed a dream-like quality, they do not bring to mind the quintessential vague atmospheric dreamscape but rather a vivid existence where a heightened perception of verisimilitude accentuates the uncanny or the incongruous. Taylor seamlessly melds classically disciplined rendering techniques with meditation, free association, and visual experimentation to present an unseen scenario that retains the characteristics –yet challenges the possibilities– of reality.

Kevin Earl Taylor was born and raised in Charleston, SC, though he now lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. In 1995 Taylor received a BFA from The Savannah College of Art and Design. His work has been exhibited throughout the United States, Sweden, Germany, England, Netherlands, and Denmark and can be found in public and private collections around the world.