Standing proud in the artsy but rapidly gentrifying Belltown neighborhood of
Seattle, sits the Roq la Rue gallery. This is its fourth location, a cavernous 900-
square-foot space with 22-foot ceilings. “Belltown is a neighborhood in fl ux,”
says Kirsten Anderson, owner and founder. “And hopefully we can stay put for
awhile. We’ve been around for nearly 10 years, and my mission is to continue
to show high-quality underground, contemporary art.”
This month, Roq la Rue, which plays host to primarily lowbrow and pop sur-
realist artists, showcases Dutch artist Femke Hiemstra and native New Yorker
Travis Louie. “What these artists have in common is their technical skill,” says
Anderson. “They both paint parallel worlds with varied characters, and they’re
both inspired by older things.”
As a kid, Louie culled his inspiration from the local comic book shop, but
his adult inspiration is more eclectic. “My studio is littered top to bottom with
remnants of the 19th century,” he says. His portraits are closely modeled on
his collection of crude 19th-century photographs called daguerreotypes (think
somber Civil War Mathew Brady portraits). At fi rst glance his work mirrorsthose ghostly subjects with their clothing and arcane poses, but look again,
and something is askew. “My newer characters are ... I hate to say biological
misfortunes ... but regular people with oddities.” That is to say, regular people
with horns growing from their skulls, rabbit ears, or troll faces straight from
Where the Wild Things Are. For the Roq La Rue show, Louie wrote a story to
accompany each of his paintings. “My characters have no malice. They’re just
regular people living their lives.”
In Hiemstra’s new work, found objects like clocks, books, and tin cans
are transformed into illustrative creatures in atmospheric surroundings. “I
can get inspired by simpler things, like music, books, or the cinema I’m
obsessed with,” says Hiemstra. “I’ve also been inspired lately by the stories,
paraphernalia, and rituals around certain vices, like absinthe drinking and
opium smoking.”
Although, they may be inspiration for Hiemstra’s work, we guarantee neither
absinthe nor opium will be needed to induce the surreal buzz Roq La Rue’s
latest show will provide. —Rachel AydtROQ ON
SEATTLE
inked life | VIEW
Clockwise from top left: Outside Roq la Rue; “Maxo the Ultra Chimp”
by Travis Louie; the interior of Roq la Rue.20 | INKEDMAG.COM!"#$%&'&()&&+&,-.///,&!"#$%&'&()&&+&,-.///,& ,0,&0&(///1&2-324/56,0,&0&(///1&2-324/56