Written by Ryan Pizarro
Luke Edward Hall, the multifaceted English artist and designer, recently joined Interview Magazine’s Mitchell Nugent in a conversation about his latest exhibition. Gardeners and Astronomers, is currently on view at Daniel Cooney Fine Art, and is the artist’s first stateside exhibition. In a crowded room that overflowed into the exterior hallway, the artist explained in a soft voice the inspirations behind the surrounding illustrations. Those in attendance were aptly plugged into the universe of Luke Edward Hall in attire that seemed to leap off of the works themselves, or from the moodboard postings from Hall’s Instagram account. The space itself lends to the storybook-esque world building of Hall’s work; to get up to the ninth floor gallery, one must take an elevator of antiquity, operated by an elevator attendant, that opens up to a sun filled floor with artists’ spaces in all directions.
Growing up an hour outside of London, Luke Edward Hall discussed the influence of the folklore of his English locale. Present in most of the works are hints of the English country that Hall holds so dear, with a continuous presence of florals, and colors that reference an English garden. Whimsical illustrations, with many focusing on shades of a single color, allow the viewer to step into the artist’s memories and tell a story that combines remnants of history and personal anecdotes. As an artist with a fine art career born from Instagram, the works featuring Hall’s husband, Duncan, call back to memories of homely Instagram story posts that fans of the artist can recall, or at least feel extremely familiar to. Though Hall mentioned to Nugent that he never intended to step into the world of fine art, gallerist Daniel Cooney reinforced his decision to take on Hall’s work in a fine art setting. And a fitting decision it is, as Cooney also represents artists such as Larry Stanton and Christopher Makos, whose works Hall draws direct inspiration from.
Taking cues from Andy Warhol, whom both Hall and Nugent cited as a source of inspiration, Luke Edward Hall has his hands on multiple creative projects, from collaborations with Diptyque, Ginori 1735, and Rubelli, decorating restaurants and hotels, to starting his own clothing line, Chateau Orlando, in 2022. Hall’s entrance into fine art exhibitions is an exciting step for an artist who himself and the work he creates feels very of the moment yet at the same time, nostalgic and familiar, similar to the wool sweaters he sells and the interior spaces he designs.
Gardeners and Astronomers is on view at Daniel Cooney Fine Art through October 28.