Community II, 2019

Felix Treadwell  

"I want to bring optimism and a sense of positivity in our increasingly sad world."

Felix Treadwell paints with a tangible nostalgia for his youth. Human figures, fantasy creatures, animals and dinosaurs are all rendered in soft, pastel-hued gradients which combine airbrushing with hand-painted acrylic elements. In more saturated palettes, the artist also creates pencil and crayon sketches, fibreglass sculptures and oil stick drawings. Much like artists associated with the Superflat movement, such as Lo Chiao-ling and Yoshitomo Nara, Treadwell draws inspiration from manga and anime alongside traditional Japanese printmaking and woodcarving. He is also inspired by fashion blogs from the 2000s. In tandem, these influences convey a sentimentality felt by many millenials for the dawn of the internet.

Treadwell's paintings tell a coming-of-age story. At his 2021 show Buff Titan at L21 in Palma, a selection of nine paintings were hung in a continuous line across three walls. Each depicted a single figure – either a casually-dressed human or an archetypal monster. They all had similar postures, and walked in the same direction around the room. Together, the works constituted a playful version of the instantly-recognisable Darwinian diagram which shows a monkey evolve into a human. In this case, an evolution of identity. With thoughtfulness and understated humour, Treadwell reflects on the tumultuous and tender journey of becoming ourselves.