The Arthur Roger Gallery is pleased to present Inside Outline, an exhibition of work by Troy Dugas. The exhibition will be on view at Arthur Roger@434, located at 434 Julia Street, beginning on July 11. The gallery will host opening receptions every Saturday in August during the day in conjunction with White Linen Light.
Troy Dugas is renowned for his meticulously created mandala-like compositions. In this recent body of work, the artist unveils a technique that he has been perfecting for the last three years. Inside Outline, the artist’s sixth exhibition at the gallery consists of colleges created from painted and block-printed papers. Motifs and shapes are printed in a repeating fashion combined with layered painting techniques to create all-over patterns that are shredded into small strips. The same forms are carefully printed row by row creating hundreds of recognizable, individual forms that are carefully cut out. Together strips and shapes are arranged using repetition and intuition guided by original designs that explore the infinite possibilities of radial form, symmetry, and pattern.
Cut pieces of recycled papers glued down in layers create vibrating patterns that come together to reveal a unified image or design. Incorporating painting and drawing media in conjunction with the collage material loosens the visual impact of the work allowing moments of vulnerability, exploration, reflection, and refinement. Occasional figurative compositions of men, flowers, or animals create levity in the overall work. They are made using the same collage technique and materials and are elevated to a heightened stylization. They provide a different kind of map that is less assertive and organized and suggest a primitive otherworldliness and pathos.
Cut and shredded product labels were the artist’s primary material for his collages for over 15 years, but for the last several years, he has been creating and accumulating his own painted and block-printed papers to explore the workings of the original designs buried underneath.
For inspiration, Dugas cites the history of textiles like ancient Coptic weaving, outsider art, and indigenous folk art.
Troy Dugas was born in Rayne, LA in 1970. He received his B.F.A. from the University of Louisiana in Lafayette and his M.F.A. from the Pratt Institute in New York. He has exhibited nationally and has received numerous accolades including Second Place in the Ogden Museum of Southern Art’s juried exhibition, Louisiana Contemporary (2016); a Pollock-Krasner Grant (2009-10); and a fellowship from the Louisiana Division of the Arts (2007-08); and a residency at McColl Center for Arts and Innovation, Charlotte, NC (2019). He has been featured in several publications including the juried publications New American Paintings and Studio Visit Magazine; the New Orleans Art Review; and David Rubin’s book Psychedelic: Optical and Visionary Art since the 1960s. In 2012, Dugas was featured in the Oxford American Magazine article "The New Superstars of Southern Art." His work is in numerous collections including the New Orleans Museum of Art and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans, LA; the Meadows Museum of Art, Shreveport, LA; the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum, Lafayette, LA; and the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation in Los Angeles, CA. Dugas lives and works in Lafayette, LA.
The exhibition can be viewed at arthurrogergallery.com/exhibition/troy-dugas-inside-outline. For more information, press, or sales inquiries, please contact the Arthur Roger Gallery at 504.522.1999 or email [email protected]. More information can also be found on our website arthurrogergallery.com. Please join us on Facebook (@ArthurRogerGallery), Twitter (@ArtRogerGallery), and Instagram (@ArthurRogerGallery).
