"Cirque du LaPierre: The Circus In The palm of Your Hand" by Stephen LaPierre

“The first time I stepped into Stephen Lapierre’s gallery, I only had a few recollections of clown paintings; kitschy portraits of clowns laughing or having a single tear running down their cheeks. But what I saw in Stephen’s studio amazed me. His paintings went beyond cliches, and instead used clowns to make us look at ourselves, and the world we inhabit.

Disguised as entertainment, LaPierre’s posses of clowns become sharp-witted social critics. The symbols they use; balloon dogs, cell phones, skateboards, selfie sticks and dangerous balancing acts, lead us all to focus on a world of trivia.

A clown’s job is to be funny. But underneath the laughter is an undercurrent of rebellious freedom. 

What is up or down? What is true or false? What is good or evil?

Normally we don’t think of clowns as people of consequence. Their uniforms are colorful wigs, oversized suits, lavish make-up, and big shoes. As such, they slide under the radar of norms, meaning and message, to the point where they are free to overthrow the status quo, and to deliver the most powerful truths, as humor.

And what looks like a joke, may instead show us the new and volatile present that we live in; a world in sway, always potentially slipping towards disaster.

 

But at least, with clowns around, we can still laugh.”