Leipzig, b. 1994

Lucas Kaiser, an artist based in Leipzig, Germany, mainly uses pencils to form multiple layers on paper. Even though materials that absorb more precise pressure require a labor-intensive working process, they are the most familiar and comfortable way of working for the artist. The theme throughout his work is the uncanniness that emerges from everyday objects. This strategy is achieved by inserting characters or objects within the landscapes, which implies an old fairy tale. Large and small creatures hiding in the idyllic landscape become small pieces within the screen that complete shallow tricks and distortion. Lucas Kaiser’s recent works demonstrate his experimentation with the deliberate adoption of banality in the compositions and their transformation into unfamiliar landscapes. A recurring backdrop in the paintings, the garden is both indoor and outdoor, a metaphorical space where narrative and image can be subverted. The elements in the drawings including the lopsided shape of the house, the flat horizon, the formalized shapes of the sun and clouds, and the repetition of human and animal figures are freely collaged and acquire new sculptural possibilities in a tightly woven imaginary garden.