GAME ART: FELIX BEAUDRY'S FLYING LESSONS (THE GLOB MOTHER, 2023)
Beaudry's evocative 2023 wall tapestry Flying Lessons from the acclaimed Glob Mother series presents a dramatic scene atop a rugged mountain cliff. At the heart of the portrayal stands a solitary, light peach-hued figure with a textured, rippled body and solemn expression. Encircling the creature are three striking magenta-colored beings - one precariously positioned over the cliff edge, as if being thrown, while two others look on from either side.
The central peach figure exudes a sense of otherworldliness, evoking parallels to the archetypal final boss encountered in epic video game journeys. In climatic boss battles, the hero at last confronts a formidable adversary representing an amplified embodiment of their own suppressed flaws and fears. Beaudry's tapestry seems to capture this moment of ultimate personal challenge and reckoning. The confrontation symbolically encapsulates the hero facing their shadow self in heightened, surreal form.
The tense scene depicted in Flying Lessons becomes a metaphorical representation of the game-ending inner battle. Confronting and overcoming one's shadow self represents the paramount triumph - a profound moment of growth and liberation. By weaving this pivotal motif into the tapestry's mystical imagery, Beaudry creates a visual ode to the introspective journey of self-actualization. The victor in this reckoning has taken flight from the cliff edge, soaring freely at last. Video games inspire art-making in the most unexpected ways.
Felix Beaudry (b. 1996 Berkeley, CA) is a textile artist based in Kingston, NY. Felix graduated with a BFA from RISD in 2018. He works primarily with his industrial knitting machine; making tapestry and sculpture. Congenital Knot at SITUATIONS was his first solo show in New York City. Recent exhibitions include And You Will Shine and Shine at Golestani Gallery, 2021 (Düsseldorf, Germany) Rocking Rookies at Tatjana Pieters, 2019 (Gent, Belgium), and Fresh Fruit at Situations, 2018 (New York, NY)
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