KP Projects is proud to present Haunted, the latest solo show from Edward Walton Wilcox.

Haunted delves into the fantastic and supernatural world of gothic romance, a genre that revolves around supernatural forces, mystery and the duality of light and dark. A mix of alluring and disquieting, the vibrant hues and amorphous forms in Wilcox’s paintings melt into prismatic streaks of light. An ambience of darkness pervades as chandeliers and mysterious forces emerge from an unbridled imagination to enchant and beguile. Rich tones of green malachite, sunset reds along with hints of azure and Wilcox’s characteristic sepia tones exude a distinct charm of beautiful decay.

A departure from Wilcox’s decidedly narrative paintings, this new body of work portrays a visceral expression of memory and emotion that transcends the linearity of storytelling. In a flurry of dripping paint, close ups and obscured angles, each painting is a harmonious balance of abstracted representation.

Wilcox’s point of continuity lay in the nuances of visual and emotional perceptiveness, and how that effects a cognizance of the world. Akin to the Neo-Impressionists, the subjective vision of the artist and emotional intensity translates into Wilcox’s swirling and dynamic paint application. Architectural forms within the chandeliers also emulate the meticulously detailed spires that frequent Wilcox’s hand-carved frames and triptychs.

The romantic gloom that has always been inherent in Wilcox’s work now finds a new expression in a subtle and introspective approach. At once bright and charming, dark and brooding, Haunted expresses the melancholic fantasy of windswept moors, darkly lit hallways and glowing chandeliers.

"One late night as a young man, armed with my camera, I wandered down the dimly lit hallways after hours. The only inhabitant was a night porter at the front desk. The chandeliers were turned down half-light as was customary in the late evening.
I was captivated by the dim warmth that radiated from the prismed light clusters; like an eerie glow of a pre-Edison world. The walls surrounding these fixtures with their tapestries and warm velvets absorbed the light so thoroughly that all one could see was a parade of chandeliers suspended down a blackened hallway.
I lifted my camera and snapped the only picture I would take that night some thirty years ago. The film was developed and the print survived. It was pinned to my studio wall, until through subsequent moves it found its way into a box of inspirational detritus relegated to a storage unit.
For decades the photo was lost to me. Upon its re-discovery, came a flush of memory and emotion—a revelation. It occurred to me that I had been painting this lost photograph for decades without realizing it. This haunting, in its simplicity, said everything I was struggling to articulate—a visual cue of romantic gloom that struck the chord of my being."
—Edward Walton Wilcox