In this film, London-based artist Dale Lewis discusses Lost Illusions – his first UK solo exhibition in five years. Spanning three consecutive rooms, the exhibition continues Lewis’s exploration of themes that have long animated his practice: class, national identity, sex, labour, mental health, nature and technology.
Each room offers a distinct perspective on the artist’s observations of contemporary life, interwoven with personal memories. The journey begins with recollections from his schooldays before moving into more recent experiences, with several works shaped by his horticultural studies at Capel Manor College in Enfield. The exhibition concludes with reflections on his childhood in Essex and the death of his grandfather last year.
Throughout Lost Illusions, Lewis employs his characteristic compositional approach of layering 'images within images', creating densely populated works that weave together references to current events, personal history and everyday life. The result is a vivid and deeply personal examination of contemporary Britain through the lens of lived experience.
