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<\/a><\/p>\nInstallation view of Thomas Ackermann, The Apostle \u2013 Astronauts<\/em> at Gallery 1313<\/p>\n In his show, The Apostle \u2013 Astronauts<\/em>, artist Thomas Ackermann has used this famous image as a framework for a series of paintings. The paintings are large; the figures are life size. Elevated within the frame, they look down on the viewer. Although the source image is the same for each painting, there is a great variety in their colours and textures<\/p>\n (L-R) John \u2013 Irwin, Bartholomew \u2013 Cenon, Simon the Cananaean \u2013 Duke, acrylic, oil and ink jet on paper mounted on canvas<\/p>\n Ackermann has a long history of developing and adapting art making processes. The techniques used in this series are particularly interesting. The background is painted on paper. Acrylic paint has been made to flow and swirl into organic patterns reminiscent of marbled paper. Ackerman does this on the floor of the studio \u2013 evidenced by a few well-placed boot prints in the paint. The astronauts themselves are painted in a kaleidoscope of oil paint. They\u2019re not painted directly onto the paper, but rather onto a plastic material that is then turned face down onto the paper. When the oil paint is partially dry, the plastic is peeled away leaving some of the paint flat and smooth and other areas smeared and disturbed. Ackermann has bonded these heavily worked paper surfaces onto stretched canvas with a technique that has returned the paper to a smooth and flat state.<\/p>\n John \u2013 Irwin, detail<\/p>\n The visors of the astronauts are the focal points of the paintings and are filled with images that have been transferred from digital prints and then partially painted over with oil. Ackermann has replaced the original reflected moonscape with a series of loaded images: the Trinity nuclear blast, the Beatles on the Abbey Road crosswalk, US marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima, among others. The images are mirror versions of the originals. The Beatles are walking to the left rather than to the right; the Iwo Jima flag tilts in the opposite direction than at the original photo.<\/p>\n Bartholemew \u2013 Cernon, detail<\/p>\n There are twelve paintings in the series \u2013 corresponding to the twelve astronauts who walked on the moon. Ackerman also makes a connection to the twelve biblical apostles and has given each painting a hyphenated name \u2013 part apostle, part astronaut. As apostles, are they bringing us a message? We look for a face to judge the intent of these figures but are met only with a reflective surface and these enigmatic images.<\/p>\n James Alpheus \u2013 Bean, detail<\/p>\n Is this what the apostle\/astronaut sees when he looks at us? Is this our own reflection? Do we see ourselves? As through a visor darkly? Ackermann remains coy on how one should interpret this. He suggests that it\u2019s up to the viewer to find a personal meaning. He says \u201cThe ability to bear frustration when you don\u2019t really know something is really important in order to get something from a work of art.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n