Andrew Lewis Blends Western and Space Exploration in 'Pioneer's Association'

Andrew Lewis, a London-born artist from Croydon, presents 'Pioneer's Association' at Galerie art: concept in Paris from March 14 to April 18, 2009. The exhibition juxtaposes the American Old West with space exploration, reflecting Lewis's childhood fascination with the Apollo moon landings. The title ironically highlights how individualistic pioneers form associations. In the first room, oil-on-wood panels in brown and blue depict a narrative set in a Far West desert where individuals build a replica of the Apollo 13 spacecraft, inspired by Archigram's architectural projects. Children play inside the cabin next to a hamster cage, while flowers like daisy and cornflower suggest a language of flowers. A notable painting, 'Une lanterne à la main,' shows a woman lying in a wagon, possibly reminiscing about a golden age. The final canvas, 'L'Avenir sera banal,' features a cart on an open road, encapsulating the cyclical nature of wonder, habit, banality, and potential re-enchantment. The second, 'associative' part includes small oil paintings referencing 18th- and 19th-century genre scenes, such as 'Base de la tranquillité' alluding to the first moon landing, and 'Venus and Apollo' where children view a model spaceship in a bourgeois apartment. Lewis's work, often enigmatic and humorous, explores temporal compression and Apollonian order.