Kour Pour UK, b. 1987
White Tiger of the West, 2020
Block printed on canvas with acrylic and oil
94 x 73 x 2 in
238.8 x 185.4 x 5.1 cm
238.8 x 185.4 x 5.1 cm
7870
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This work is emblematic of Kour Pour's signature method of creating a large-scale, unique block print and then adding painted or collaged elements on top of the print. This piece...
This work is emblematic of Kour Pour's signature method of creating a large-scale, unique block print and then adding painted or collaged elements on top of the print. This piece is one of the first in Pour's recent series of tiger paintings. The term White Tiger of the West relates to one of the four Chinese constellation symbols. It represents the direction west, not the West in cultural terms. It also represents the autumn season.
Similar to his renowned Carpet paintings, which integrate visual elements from pre-Victorian Persian carpets, these tiger paintings contain elements that reference both global art history and various interconnected cultural iconographies. The central motif in this new body of work is a tiger, an image immediately suggestive of a range of art historic and craft traditions, but which is also a personal reference for Pour.
Some artists use words like appropriation or re-mix to describe the process of activating existing visual associations from art history and contemporary culture in their work. Pour prefers to use the word foster.
“Foster means taking care of something that isn’t necessarily yours. It means nurturing something temporarily in your care.”
“These tiger paintings originate from one of my best friends Phil, who is Korean and grew up in Chile,” Pour says. “He became a tattoo artist. He has a big Korean tiger tattoo on his belly.”
Similar to his renowned Carpet paintings, which integrate visual elements from pre-Victorian Persian carpets, these tiger paintings contain elements that reference both global art history and various interconnected cultural iconographies. The central motif in this new body of work is a tiger, an image immediately suggestive of a range of art historic and craft traditions, but which is also a personal reference for Pour.
Some artists use words like appropriation or re-mix to describe the process of activating existing visual associations from art history and contemporary culture in their work. Pour prefers to use the word foster.
“Foster means taking care of something that isn’t necessarily yours. It means nurturing something temporarily in your care.”
“These tiger paintings originate from one of my best friends Phil, who is Korean and grew up in Chile,” Pour says. “He became a tattoo artist. He has a big Korean tiger tattoo on his belly.”