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Anthony Adcock “Expect Delays”
"Expect Delays" explores the striking similarities between the early Renaissance, specifically Giotto, and contemporary construction road signage. Using techniques and ... more >> Intersecting hyperrealist painting with minimal sculpture, Adcock's new series of trompe l'oeil paintings explore the similarities between the early Renaissance, specifically Giotto, and contemporary construction road signage, using techniques and materials from the 1300s.
"Expect Delays" explores the striking similarities between the early Renaissance, specifically Giotto, and contemporary construction road signage. Using techniques and materials from the 1300s, Anthony Adcock reevaluates the language of road signs and asks, "What would Giotto do?"
Adcock hypothesizes Giotto questioning the contemporary construction term "high-vis" (referring to the OSHA safety standards on visibility) and instinctively replacing modern reflective material with 24-karat gold leaf and patented colors such as OSHA Blaze or Safety Orange with Minimum or Vermillion. He imagines Giotto would change language, create new symbols, and even reconsider the concept of a road sign. In Adcock's mind, a master painter like Giotto would undoubtedly enhance such signs for everyone.
Looking through the lens of Giotto has led to an awakening of sorts within Adcock's painting practice; the lines between virtuosity, material knowledge, and conceptual art have blurred together, yielding cultural artifacts that contribute to contemporary art discourse. "Road signs, like many things in our society, can perhaps be improved, challenged, and glorified by simply looking through the lens from a different angle." says Adcock, nodding to Giotto's "Ognissanti Madonna" (1306) with his five-sided chromatic, reflective, symmetrical aluminum road sign paintings, adorned with conceptually charged hieroglyphics and text that guide the viewer to safety. "Even an event like a heavy traffic jam on a Friday night can be an enlightening experience if one peers through the right way."
Anthony Adcock (b. 1987) blends his unique experiences working as a Local #1 Ironworker and as an artist to create works that explore the relationship between labor and value. Using hyper-illusionistic trompe l’oeil painting, sculpture, and installation, he distorts the line between reality and perception to question the importance and relevancy of authorship.
He received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the American Academy of Art, specializing in oil painting. His work has been published in New American Paintings, NewCity Art, The Examiner, and other publications.
Adcock’s work has been exhibited throughout the country in various galleries, venues, and art fairs, including Art Miami, Volta, the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art in Chicago, the 21C Museum, the University of Chicago, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and many others. He has contributed to performances for artist William Pope. L at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and the Whitney Biennial. Anthony Adcock is a member of the art collective “Post Humanity Group." He lives and works in Chicago, IL.
