Poor Richard Scumbag
May 1 – June 13, 2015
Opening Reception: Friday, May 1, 2015

“Poor Richard was a pen name for Benjamin Franklin when he published Poor Richard’s Almanac, which is best known for a series of maxims on how to live your life. I wanted to take Poor Richard, a disembodied character that speaks from a position of wisdom and authority, and turn him into a negative role model engaged in shameful, disgusting behavior.”
  – Andy Cahill

Paris London Hong Kong is pleased to present Poor Richard Scumbag a selection of new painting and a sculpture by Brooklyn based artist Andy Cahill. The exhibition opens on May 1 with a reception from 6pm to 8pm and will continue through June 13th.

The paintings in this show are made from both the front and the back. A cartoon image is drawn on the front and acrylic paint is forced through the pores of the linen, creating a skin of plastic paint which projects off the surface like horizontal stalactites. The grid of the fabric is inscribed into the paint itself, reminiscent of both the halftone dots of old sunday comics and the segmented planes of computer generated models.

The images are grotesque, cartoon portraits. In some, the faces are simplified to the point of abstraction. In others, a lascivious character emerges, obsessively pouring over a dictionary. They are a blank slate onto which a viewer can project as much or as little psychological trauma as they want.

The sculpture brings the paintings into the third dimension. Forced to stand up on their own, they are illuminated with a series of blinking lights, with the dubious promise of a carnival game: you’re having a good time. Ignore the man behind the scenes. Keep your finger on the trigger. Inflate the clown and win the prize. Fun for the family, bring the kids. We promise.

Andy Cahill B. 1985, Lives in Brooklyn, NY, graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design (2008) and The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2010) group exhibitions include MOVES THINKS REPEATS PAUSES at Tony Wight Gallery; Chicago, and High Density, Oblique Function, at Proxy; Providence.