Artist: Neil Raitt
Exhibition title: Imitation Sand
Venue: Valentin, Paris, France
Date: January 27 – March 24, 2018
Photography: © Photo Grégory Copitet / all images copyright and courtesy of the artist and Valentin, Paris
A mural on the back wall of the gallery depicts an amethyst desert landscape. Mirroring the language of the paintings on canvas, it is blown up to form a backdrop, similar to the way that a scenic painting provides visual context for a narrative in a play. ‘Imitation Sand’ weaves together a narrative of displacement, romanticism and internal-logic that subverts the domestic element of the paintings which are plucked from the context of decoration and display. Transported through repetition to an abstract world, the paintings become at once enticing and ensnaring. The exhibition forms a fictitious world in which visual devices, such as a mirrored screen, divide the room and reflect the landscapes of the paintings, placing the viewer inside the maze-like nature of the work.
Neil Raitt (b. 1986, Leicester, UK) lives and works in Los Angeles and London. Raitt received his MA from the Royal College of Art, London in 2013. Raitt’s work has been exhibited at public and private institutions including the Centre d’art contemporain La Halle des bouchers, Vienne; Villa Du Parc centre d’art contemporain, Annemasse; the DePaul University Art Museum, Chicago; and the Goss-Michael Foundation, Dallas. He was the recipient of the Northern Trust Acquisition Prize, 2016 and the Catlin Art Prize, 2014. Recent exhibitions include solo exhibitions with Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles (US), Nicelle Beauchene, New York (US) and Mon Cheri, Brussels (BE).
Neil Raitt, Imitation Sand, 2018, exhibition view, Valentin, Paris
Neil Raitt, Imitation Sand, 2018, exhibition view, Valentin, Paris
Neil Raitt, Imitation Sand, 2018, exhibition view, Valentin, Paris
Neil Raitt, Imitation Sand, 2018, exhibition view, Valentin, Paris
Neil Raitt, Imitation Sand, 2018, exhibition view, Valentin, Paris
Neil Raitt, Imitation Sand, 2018, exhibition view, Valentin, Paris
Neil Raitt, Imitation Sand, 2018, exhibition view, Valentin, Paris
Neil Raitt, Imitation Sand, 2018, exhibition view, Valentin, Paris
Neil Raitt, Imitation Sand, 2018, exhibition view, Valentin, Paris
Neil Raitt, Imitation Sand, 2018, exhibition view, Valentin, Paris
Neil Raitt, Imitation Sand, 2018, exhibition view, Valentin, Paris
Neil Raitt, Imitation Sand, 2018, exhibition view, Valentin, Paris
Neil Raitt, Imitation Sand, 2018, exhibition view, Valentin, Paris
Neil Raitt, Imitation Sand, 2018, exhibition view, Valentin, Paris
Neil Raitt, Parallel Peaks (Tracey Island), 2017, Oil on canvas, 52 x 34 15/16 Inches. / 132 x 88,7 cm
Neil Raitt, Parallel Peaks (Tracey Island), 2017, Oil on canvas, 52 x 34 15/16 Inches. / 132 x 88,7 cm
Neil Raitt, Van Dyke Foothills (Golden Green), 2017, Oil on canvas, 47 1/4 x 35 7/16 Inches. / 120 x 90 cm.
Neil Raitt, Van Dyke Foothills (Golden Green), 2017, Oil on canvas, 47 1/4 x 35 7/16 Inches. / 120 x 90 cm.
Neil Raitt, Sunset Cross, 2017, Oil on canvas, 39 1/2 x 27 11/16 inches. / 100,3 x 70,3 cm
Neil Raitt, Yucca Valley (Harold), 2017, Oil on canvas, 39 3/8 x 27 9/16 Inches. / 100 x 70 cm
Neil Raitt, Icecap Mountain (Winter Cabin Edit), 2017, Oil on canvas, 58 x 42 8/25 Inches. / 147,5 x 107,5 cm
Neil Raitt, Desert Haze (Blondie), 2017, Oil on canvas, 58 x 42 8/25 Inches. / 147,5 x 107,5 cm
Neil Raitt, Forest Falls (Vanilla Peaks), 2017, Oil on canvas, 58 x 42 8/25 Inches. / 147,5 x 107,5 cm
Neil Raitt, Forest Falls (Vanilla Peaks), 2017, Oil on canvas, 58 x 42 8/25 Inches. / 147,5 x 107,5 cm
Neil Raitt, Silver Ridge (Golden Green), 2017, Oil on canvas, 39 19/25 x 27 3/4 Inches. / 101 x 70,5 cm
Neil Raitt, Icecap Mountain (Yucca Valley Pass), 2017, Oil on canvas, 65 15/16 x 43 8/10 Inches. / 167,5 x 111,5 cm
Neil Raitt, Misty Mountain Glow (Indian Yellow), 2017, Oil on canvas, 31 1/2 x 23 5/8 Inches. / 80 x 60 cm
Neil Raitt, Yucca Valley (Marisol), 2017, Oil on canvas, 94 1/2 x 70 7/8 Inches. / 240 x 180 cm
Neil Raitt, Canyon Screen, 2018, MDF, Perspex and brass fixings. / MDF, plexiglas et fixations en laiton, Variable dimensions. Panels: 76 7/9 x 32 2/7 x 1 3/8 Inches (each). / Dimensions variable. Panneaux: 195 x 82 x 3,5 cm (chacun).