Hero

Like a reporter, Les Rogers (b. 1966, lives and works in New York) aspires to portray contemporary society. While he used to look mainly at the world outside his studio for this, since becoming a father he rediscovered the fresh perspective with which children look at abstract concepts such as good and evil, or beautiful and ugly. Formally, this shift in content translated into simplification. Because his playful portraits in bright, pure colours are not immediately legible, viewers can let their imagination run wild. Thanks to their life-size formats, the canvases acquire a three-dimensional, sculptural presence in space, allowing the audience to lose themselves in them completely. Although in some series, the artist also explores the sculptural possibilities of the canvas itself. Like the abstract expressionists, Les Rogers attaches great importance to the physical impact of brush strokes, and to the manual gesture on the canvas. From the experimentation with colours and shapes, captivating images thus emerge.