Grottesque

Pike’s passion is about how synaesthesia might provoke a mesmerizing state that could help survive beneath the earth.  These bizarre labyrinths, just like a good tango or opera (both Baroque art forms), each have unexpected, yet pleasurable, twists and turns.

CHANTING GROTTO

Mystical evacuees congregate under auspicious crystalline ceilings to join in harmonious polyphony. 

IMAGES COMING IN APRIL

trysting crypt

A secret rendezvous grotto encourages evacuees to indulge in endless delicious pecks on cheeks.

gouache on paper, 2.4 m x 5.5 m (8 x 18 ft), 2021
detail

Sunken Séance Meeting Hall

Spookologist evacuees discover an ancient hideaway for gathering departed spirits.

gouache on paper, 2.4 m x 5.5 m (8 x 18 ft), 2020
detail

Gazing Pond Chamber

Whispered stories beside the reflecting pool will help evacuees enjoy their High Tea.

Gazing Pond Chamber
gouache on paper, 2.4 m x 5.5 m (8 x 18 ft), 2018
Gazing Pond Chamber detail
detail

Cavernous Sun Parlour

Therapeutic moisture oozes up the walls and around knit statuary to nourish evacuees during above-ground catastrophe.

gouache on paper, 2.4 m x 5.5 m (8 x 18 ft), 2016
CavernousSun Parlour
detail

Buried Dance Pavilion

A spectacular performing room imagines pleasure-filled evacuees in full swirl.

gouache on paper, 2.4 m x 5.5 m (8 x 18 ft), 2015
Buried Dance Pavilion - detail
detail

Subterranean Day Spa

Mineral-rich spring water pool provides evacuees with contemplative time for hygiene.

gouache on paper, 2.4 m x 6.1 m (8 x 20 ft), 2013
Folly - Bizzarria View - Painshill Detail 2
detail

Entrance to an Underground Riding Academy

Extensive stables enable evacuees to commute between the sauna and the greenhouse.

gouache on paper, 2.4 m x 6.1 m (8 x 20 ft), 2011
03BP Entrance to Underground Riding Academy detail 2
detail

photographer: Tracy Peters, Robert Barrow

Grottesque at the Dunlop Art Gallery in 2018 (toured Canada)
https://www.facebook.com/dunlopartgallery/videos/1772887172742819/