GAVLAK Los Angeles is pleased to announce Luke O'Halloran's premier solo exhibition with the gallery, Going, going, gone. O'Halloran is known for his oil paintings that suspend a moment in time: playing cards midair, slot machines spinning endlessly, a house of cards teetering on completion or collapse, and magic tricks. Within these still frames exists the drama and anticipation we find in games and life. O’Halloran will be presenting eight new paintings and one sculptural element for this exhibition. Going, going, gone. will be on view at GAVLAK Los Angeles from April 8th through May 13th, 2023. There will be an opening reception on Saturday, April 8th, from 4 - 6 pm.
Luke O'Halloran's work is playful and meditative, expanding fixed points in time. As viewers, we find a space to reflect on an outcome untold surrounded by the tension of what could be. Liz building a house of cards, exemplifies this. A house of cards is a structure of fragility. Excitement and fear muddled in the top card teetering on loss. The hearts and the spades all fall the same.
The new works in Going, going, gone. are a thrill and a pause, a space to feel both a rush and be reminded of the importance of living in the present, however ephemeral it may be. There is repetition - the rebuilding of the house of cards, the throwing of the bowling ball, and spinning numbers on the wheel over and over again. We observe and savor the importance of each action and their possible outcomes through reiterations. The repetition and fragmentation of the two in the Spinning twos series, comprised of four paintings, captures flashing moments of infinity. Luke O'Halloran revels in the notion that these split seconds live on within his paintings.
The anticipation, suspension, excitement, and possibility of heartbreak resonate in O'Halloran's work featured in Going, going, gone. There is a persistence, so human, rooted in repetitive actions—a whimsical look into human nature. The thrill of trying. The hope of winning. The probability of failure. Luke O’Halloran’s paintings pause simple scenes that hold ‘forever’.
