Leslie Tucker: Devotionals

Leslie Tucker

Devotionals

_{God loves us no matter what, 2018, Photo-composite printed on Endure Metallic chromogenic paper 24 x 34 in. ed. of 10}

New York based photo artist Leslie Tucker marks her first solo exhibition at Martin Art Gallery with a series of photo-composite prints, each presenting a focused critique on our consumption-based society, specifically: What we buy, and what we buy into. Tucker carefully composes and manipulates images with various software tools, sometimes placing thousands of elements in one piece with incredible detail and precision. By meticulously sourcing, scanning and photographing these images, she is able to combine the right components to start a dialogue. As such, juxtaposition forms the foundation of her process. In an attempt to create awareness and self-reflection, the artist states: “I invite my audience to meander through my decorative tableaus to rediscover the underbelly of our humanity." From this interest in decoding human nature, she hopes to generate a better understanding of who we are, who we’ve been, and who we are becoming. To lure the viewer, Tucker translates this ‘disquieting content’ into a lustrous aesthetic showcasing an intricate appeal with jewel-toned colors and an abundance of metallic. Central to her artistic vision is a passion for consumer culture and her work as a visual brand strategist, influencing the mindset and purchasing behavior of the American public. As a visual artist, she rearranges these familiar and trustworthy images to explore her own themes. Social and economic justice, technology, the environment, race, gender, and human rights are examined through the juxtaposition of mass-produced popular-culture imagery, corroborating the artist’s belief of photography visually preserving our time. Tucker’s themes of illumination are harnessed by contemporary but unconventional technologies. Lightjet printing reproduces an image the way we see the world: the simultaneous exposure of red, green, and blue laser light (not CMYK). Additionally, the artist’s preferred surface is Endura Metallic paper, its iridescent finish and rich metallic appearance is a nod to the illumination techniques of medieval gilding. But gilded is not golden - gilded has a sense of a patina covering something else. 

And Let Them Have Dominion Over All The Earth, 2018
Photo-composite printed on Endure Metallic chromogenic paper 24 x 34 in. ed. of 10

I Am The First & I Am The Last, 2015
Photo-composite printed on Endure Metallic chromogenic paper

Today You Will Be With Me In Paradise, 2018
Photo-composite printed on Endure Metallic chromogenic paper 24 x 34 in. ed. of 10

Leslie Tucker earned her BFA from Manhattanville College and completed post-graduate work at Parsons School of Design. Her work has been shown and recognized in various national and international exhibitions and periodicals. In 2016 and 2017, her photographic constructions were awarded first place recognition in the Fine Art Professional category of the international juried competition organized by Creative Quarterly: Journal of Art & Design. Tucker is a member artist of the Los Angeles Center for Digital Art, a membership she acquired through her first place award in the LACDA international juried competition of 2008. She currently resides in Manhattan's East Village and maintains a studio space in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn.