NADA New York 2024

The seeds of Latislaw’s works lie in his interest in theatrical and cinematic stage sets, as well as early stop motion animation—in particular, a production of Hansel and Gretel from the late 1950s. The overall aesthetic, highly stylized and intentional, captures the tensions of early animation: impish, absurd, playful; child-like yet adult.

The landscape painting, “Homestead,” belongs to a series made in tandem with the sculptures. While not initially conceived as connected with the felt figures, the artist’s recurring interest in the play between the mythical and the real connect both sequences. Similarly infused with dream-like curving shapes, for Latislaw the paintings have become a backdrop of this ‘stage set.’ Painted in acrylic on canvas, this painting shares the rounded, pillowy forms of the wool sculpture, working as a fantasy of actual nature. The idea of an unadulterated landscape as a clean slate, a stage set, a place for narrative yet to be placed, is a point of fascination for the artist. Together, the sculpture and painting create an entire picture, character and environment, for a world that is both humorous and brimming with mischievous potential.