Audit, a solo exhibition by Reinis Lismanis, continues the artist’s investigation of everyday processes, labour, and the materiality of image-making, while contemplating notions of quality, success, and failure in both art and daily life.
The show’s title draws on the etymology of the word, which originates from the Latin “auditus,” meaning “a hearing.” In contemporary usage, an audit implies a systematic examination or review. For Lismanis, this concept of “taking stock” became literal as he moved studios, offering an opportunity to reevaluate the methods and materials present in his creative practice.
Lismanis broadens his repertoire of techniques, combining inkjet ink, spray paint, printed imagery, and repurposed advertising banners to create new works on canvas. This approach reflects his interest in giving new life to discarded or previously rejected materials and exploring the ephemeral nature of commercial image-making. A crucial aspect of this new body of work is the artist’s experimental approach to printing on canvas. Using an old inkjet printer, Lismanis folds and forces larger canvases through the device, embracing the unpredictability and serendipitous outcomes that arise from this process. This method embodies his fascination with the intersection of intentionality and chance in artmaking, while also serving as a metaphor for navigating constraints in both artistic and quotidian contexts.
The imagery Lismanis selects for printing relates to quality control, which itself alludes to broader notions of success and failure. By reproducing elements such as colour calibration patches and alignment marks from common items like milk cartons and biscuit boxes, the artist transports these details into an altogether different realm – an aesthetic one. This gesture not only blurs the boundary between the mundane and the artistic but also prompts a reconsideration of value perceptions.
Interspersed among these abstract forms are more recognisable images: a concerned figure from an IKEA manual, serving as a humorous yet poignant reminder of the anxieties and struggles present in everyday life. These elements, combined with blocks of pure colour, create a visual language that is simultaneously familiar and disorienting, mirroring the complex interplay between routine and uncertainty in modern existence. The introduction of these identifiable elements marks a shift in Lismanis’ practice, incorporating more personal aspects of everyday life into his artistic explorations. This integration further emphasises the interconnectedness of art, daily experiences, and broader societal structures.
Through Audit, Lismanis continues to challenge conventional narratives surrounding artistic production and value. By embracing imperfection, chance, and the aesthetics of the ordinary, he invites a reassessment of one’s relationships with success, failure, and the beauty of the incidental and commonplace.
Gerald Moore Gallery, Mottingham Lane, London, SE9 4RW from 12th September to 12th October 2024, open to the public on Saturdays 10am – 4pm and by appointment.. The private view will be on Thursday 12th September from 6 to 8pm.
info@geraldmooregallery.org or 02088570448
