Wainscott, NY – Tripoli Gallery is pleased to present For Purpose, By Accident, the debut solo exhibition by Lauren West. On view at 26 Ardsley Road in Wainscott, NY, we invite you to the opening reception on Saturday, October 9th from 5 to 7 p.m.

In For Purpose, By Accident, Lauren West looks to nature for guidance and seeks answers to her developing series of questions on living; with the aim of creating a dialogue on the direction of evolution. West’s paintings are an exploration into the duality of human existence, the vulnerability of intimacy, and a bittersweet exploration of time’s passage. Her work is an inquiry into the mistakes and accidents that lead to both progress and regression, and a playful celebration of lived experience.

West’s new body of work explores the nuances of the progression of beings from a prehistoric past–namely birds, which West uses as a repetitive motif–under the guise of information and shared knowledge. With her oil paintings she creates paradoxical delineations with dimensionality and an agitated, sometimes almost sculpted surface. Narrative tones range from surrealistic to menacing to barbaric, cloaked by the serenity of the natural world. The result is the wild combination of animals, beasts that barely exist, a few humans, and the constant question of what in the world we're all doing here.

Lauren West (b. 1989, Oxford, MS) received her MFA degree from The New York Academy of Art after obtaining a BFA from the University of Mississippi. West has shown with Tripoli Gallery since 2019; a two man show with Vahakn Arslanian, HANGAR; and the last two Annual Thanksgiving Collectives, What Have We Done, and Are We There Yet. She currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.

For press inquiries or further information, please contact info@tripoligallery.com or call 631.377.3715