New Image Art is pleased to present Asif Hoque’s inaugural solo exhibition, Loverboy, opening Saturday, August 10th, 2019 from 7-10 PM. Asif Tanvir Hoque is a Brooklyn-based oil-painter, who creates a mythological plain for angelic brown bodied figures to co-exist and revel in harmony. His body of work is encoded with romantic symbols and celestial creatures, creating a heaven-like environment.
Drawing from art history, his personal life, and Bangladeshi ancestry, Hoque’s paintings are seemingly havens for his fleshy toned brown-bodied figures to live in passion. Loverboy channels a newfangled pan-like sphere where the wild, nature of mountain wilds, rustic music and impromptus, and angels of color unify. Hoque re-contextualizes Greek mythological scenes as his own contemporary Coptic folklore. The exaggerated muscular figures frolic while taking up space, instilling a utopic ambiance of safety and love. Hoque’s large-scale paintings fully encompass the viewer and immerse one in a dark nightscape filled with subtle ethereal color schemes and sexual overtones. Loverboy delves into an earth-toned mystical state where Hoque’s figures interlock and connect, imbuing a sense of playfulness and joy.
As a Bangladeshi immigrant, who was raised in South Florida, Hoque’s paintings attempt to figuratively and stylistically combine aspects of multi-cultural identity. His early work highlights his fascination with classical fine arts, but with the progression of his skill and his self-discovery, Hoque challenges his audience to explore aspects of self that are authentic. Hoque hopes to address the unique experience of living in the “in between”.
