Gabriel Lester

Gabriel Lester (1972) was a graffiti artist, musician, film-maker, writer and performance artist before turning his attention to the fine arts in 1999. Elements of his previous activities are incorporated in his works of sculpture, frequently with an ironic undertone. In his installations Lester is often interested in evoking cinematographic experiences. He therefore works with moving pictures as well as with selected background music; he steers the observer’s gaze and uses movement to integrate the time span into his works, either by ensuring the movement takes place within the work itself or by making the observer perform it in order to experience the work. Lester creates atmospheres in which aesthetic and narrative breaks induce observers to question both what they have seen and their own responses.

Flat as the World is Round (2010) is a metaphorical play with moving scenery in which the very prosaic construction of a conveyor belt at a supermarket checkout is transformed into the magical world of a shadow show. A continuous cycle shows us the different milieus we encounter in our everyday lives. This work subtly combines the medieval concept of a flat earth, which is now recognised as absurd, with elements of Plato’s cave allegory. It uses ironical and, above all, poetic means to present a world of shadows and illusions to an observer fascinated by the silhouettes on the wall.