'Trip The Light' by Reka

About

Trip The Light is the latest solo exhibition by Melbourne-born, Berlin-based artist James Reka. Exploring the splendour of the female form in dance, his deft brushstrokes and fluid lines create a hypnotic dynamic movement that prances between his canvases. It is Reka's London debut and his first solo show at StolenSpace Gallery. First referenced in John Milton's 1645 poem L'Allegro, to trip the light fantastic" alludes to those who dance without inhibition. Sashaying and cavorting across the canvas, Reka's female forms writhe with delight, moving to a silent rhythm from influences as diverse as Spanish flamenco guitars to the grimy clubs of Berlin's inner East. Born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, Reka's mother was a professional ballerina who once danced with the Russian ballet. The back alley German discothèques he now calls home could not be further from his upbringing in either geography or style, yet this fusion of elegance and grit is what draws audiences so passionately to his work.