Yesterday i saw a new Robert Atilla Lukas work at Douglas Udell. I have seen a substantial amount of his work in Reproductions. I have seen on rare occasions some of pieces in real life. His work is visceral in both an emotional and physical sense . He depicts the objects of queer fetishization ( cops , soldiers, sailors ) in their trained traditional roles of mechanics of often violent social control . He explores the implications of what this means. Power no longer equates with sex, it realties to oppression. Blood is not a freudian metaphor for semen it is the direct physical result of submission. He shows how dangerous sexualizing those trained to subdue or kill can be/ He has always worked as a representive painter but his paintings were stained and smeared pastels, water colours and gouaches . The piece i saw at Udell had little violent or angry contents. In its chirouscoco lighting and the darkness of its colouring it looked mannerist. An oil portrait of a young man stripped , his haunches undepicted. I talked to the front end worker end worker about how odd the piece seemed considering the context.

Apparently there was an article in the Canadian art mag Border Crossing a couple of months ago . Lukas had given up painting, changed his name ( to PonyBoi)and started a webzine.

Udells rep couldn't find the mag , the mag was not at another gallery downtown who has most issues of it. The issue was at the Public Library but the article was not there . I googled the name and the search came up blank.

A dealers rumour and no other information is more often then not means a P.R. stunt but there are a couple of factors that seem to make this case more complex. He does not seem to be seem to be as attached to spectacle as the other artists who seem to be working similar ideas ( cf . The Chapman Brothers) . The work is not mired in sentiment or voyeurism. It is too traditional in medium to be and too ambiguous in its intent for him to be a media star .
Its also worthy to note what the allusions of the name PonyBoi could signify . The character comes from a book written by a woman about a gang of boys who are sent to away from civilization as a consequence for violent acts. The movie featured heartthrobs that had a history of speculation concerning the queerness of their identity or sexual acts ( Swayze, Cruise, Lowe) .

By spelling it Boi instead of boy he claims both gender and sexual transgressive ness. It is a term used by Drag Kings and young queers in a playful and reclaimed way their fluidity . Much like the word queer.

If the PonyBoi persona is accurate and if the allusions are as heavy as it seems to be at first it leads to some interesting speculation. Is it a loosening of his traditional severity . Is it an attempt to be a Warholian superstar ? The fact an artist of his calibre would consider the F(f)lash of web art viable is fascinating stuff . I wish i knew more about it !