Travis Louie

Born 1964 in Queens, New York. Lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

A Pratt Institute graduate, Travis Louie transitioned from a freelance illustrator to full-time artist since 2003.

Blossoming from the tiny drawings and scribbles in his journals, Travis Louie’s paintings refer to Victorian and Edwardian photographic portraiture. Influenced by German Expressionist cinema, film noir, Gothic literature, 1950s Sci-Fi, and the Weird Tales of H.P. Lovecraft, Louie’s work is inhabited by human oddities, mythical beings, and otherworldly characters who appear to have had their formal portraits taken to mark their existence. The underlying thread that connects all these characters is the unusual circumstances that shape who they were and how they lived. Some of their origins are a complete mystery while others are hinted at.

Using acrylic paint washes and simple textures on smooth boards, he has created portraits from an alternative universe that seemingly may or may not have existed. His work is about identity and remembrance, with a commentary on racism and the immigrant experience. Through his otherworldly characters, Louie would like the fear of "the other" to be replaced with a curiosity about the unknown and a sense of wonder regarding those things that are unfamiliar.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2023

Unusual Circumstances | Harman Projects | New York, NY

Imaginary Friends | Haven Gallery | Northport, NY

2022

MAGICAL BEASTS | KP Projects | Los Angeles, CA

2021

New Works | Haven Gallery | Northport, NY

2020

Curious Beasts | KP Projects | Los Angeles, CA

Imaginary Friends | William Baczek Fine Arts | Northampton, MA

Travis Louie | William Baczek Fine Arts | Northampton, MA

2019

Animals That I’ve Known | Haven Gallery | Northport, NY

Biodiversity | Roq La Rue Gallery | Seattle, WA

2018

Curious Organisms | KP Projects | Los Angeles, CA

Menagerie | William Baczek Fine Arts | Northampton, MA

2017

Whence One Comes: The Musings of Travis Louie | University of Wyoming Museum of Art | Laramie, WY

Phantasmagoria | KP Projects | Los Angeles, CA

2016

VIEWS FROM A NETHERWORLD | KP Projects | Los Angeles, CA

2015

Watch the Skies | KP Projects | Los Angeles, CA

Archive of Lost Species | Roq La Rue Gallery | Seattle, WA

2014

Before They Were Villains or Heroes | William Baczek Fine Arts | Northampton, MA

2013

Strange Discoveries | Merry Karnowsky Gallery | Los Angeles, CA

Monsters on Their Day Off | Roq La Rue Gallery | Seattle, WA

2012

Spirits | The Stranger Factory | Albuquerque, NM

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2022

25th Anniversary Exhibition | KP Projects | Los Angeles, CA

2021

Animalia: curated by Beautiful Bizarre Magazine | Haven Gallery | Northport, NY

Slice of Summer | KP Projects | Los Angeles, CA

Intersect: Summer Print Salon 2001 - 2021 | KP Projects | Los Angeles, CA

2020

5 Years of Haven | Haven Gallery | Northport, NY

Shakespearean | Haven Gallery | Northport, NY

2019

Shimmer Shine Glimmer Glow : A Holiday Group Show | KP Projects | Los Angeles, CA

Ritual at Haven Gallery – a Beautiful Bizarre exhibition | Haven Gallery | Northport, NY

Drawing the Line | IX Gallery | Altoona, PA

2018

The Miniature Show | Dorothy Circus Gallery | Rome, Italy

The Moleskine Project VII | Spoke Art | San Francisco, CA

Animal Kingdom 2018 | William Baczek Fine Arts | Northampton, MA

Meridian Group Exhibition | KP Projects | Los Angeles, CA

2017

The Moleskine Project VI, Spoke Art

It came from beneath the sea | Haven Gallery | Northport, NY

Lush Life | Hashimoto Contemporary | San Francisco, CA

2014

Praeteritum Nunc Futurum | KP Projects | Los Angeles, CA