Backseat Driver by Rob Rek - is an exquisite example of the photo realistic style with which the artist’s name has become synonymous.This piece is set against a dramatically simplistic ultra white background focusing attention exclusively on the subject - An iconic 1972 Rolls Royce Corniche, and the spectacular greater bird of paradise perching on the stowed convertible top. The artists hyperrealist style captures the ornate beauty of the iconic Corniche with startling detail and in large scale, one quarter the size of the vehicle itself. An exclusive shade of iridescent blue used only by Rolls Royce is skilfully recreated by the artist. Details are mind bindingly accurate given their scale, such as the spirit of Exstacy hood ornament which measures under 3cms. For the indigenous people of Indonesia, Birds of Paradise hold a special place in their mythology and folklore. These magnificent creatures are believed to be messengers from the spirit world, bridging the gap between humans and the divine. They are seen as symbols of fertility, prosperity, and good luck.The artwork is a modern adaptation of the ancient Dutch Vanitas style, which invites the viewer to consider their mortality and questions the significance of placing value on impermanent pursuits such as material wealth, beauty and status..
This artwork is framed in a custom made black float frame finished in matt paint.
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Rob Rek's twelfth solo exhibition "Vanity" is a decadent collection of photorealistic synthetic polymer paintings - rich with painstaking detail, luxury, irony, and subversive subtext.
The collection was inspired by the centuries old Dutch Vanitas art movement. Vanitas paintings were intended to remind viewers of their own impending mortality. The artists of this movement dedicated themselves to communicating to the affluent that material possessions, wealth, and beauty - are as temporary as a butterfly.
Rek retains this powerful message with this exhibition - more relevant today then ever before.
Reversing the sombre tones commonly seen in the 1 6th century masterpieces, the artworks of Rek's Vanity are set against vibrant pure white.
The feature subject for each painting backlit and unapologetically featured.
Each piece is exquisitely detailed and impossibly lifelike. The art of breaking this realism by placing symbols into unlikely and often whimsical scenarios the only clue to their handmade origins.
The artist invites you to delve deeply into each painting. Hidden suggestions, and playful subtexts are permeated throughout Vanity, intended to intrigue, and beguile the viewer.