Elle Ellsmere at LEA5

A few days ago, my friend Dividni Shostakovich suggested that I pay a visit to LEA5 (the LEA Self-Curated Gallery or sandbox) to see some works-in-progress by Elle Ellsmere, of whom I had never heard. "They're pretty wild, a taste of Francis Bacon," encouraged Dividni. And indeed, they are quite striking, as Whiskey Monday and I discovered last night as we visited. The largest piece is a tall enclosure, a surreal and disturbing environment, in which a pair of figures attempt to kiss while one is being pulled away by two other figures, one with the head of a pig and one with the head of a stag, while an assemblage of other strange characters observe from on high (first two images).

Another piece features a long row of tall windows, each of which looks into a padded room (third image — although none of these artworks can really be captured very well in single images, and the latter work includes movement). Stacked nearby are a few smaller, loose pieces (none of the works are named) on which Elle was focused today. He tells me that he generally works in MakeHuman, Sculptris and Blender, and hasn't exhibited his works anywhere before. I hope we see more of this artist in the future, and in a more permanent location.