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.

Above: metallic gouache on paper, 2.4 m x 5.5 m (8 x 18 ft), 2023. Below: detail 1.2 x 1.5 m

photographer: Tracy Peters

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

photographer: Tracy Peters

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

Gazing Pond Chamber

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

gouache on paper, 2.4 m x 5.5 m (8 x 18 ft), 2018

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

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

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. University of Manitoba School of Art Collection

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. University of Manitoba School of Art Collection

photographer: Tracy Peters, Robert Barrow

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