The utopian current that runs through art history and the attempt to envision an ideal future world, is the primary subject of Tristram Lansdowne’s work. Drawing from disparate systems of visual organization, such as Renaissance taxonomical and perspectival systems, Romantic painting, and utopian architectural concepts, Lansdowne’s work has focused on exploring the desire for control over one’s environment. Through these systems, Lansdowne seeks to explore notions of progress and idealism, particularly as they are applied to Modernist narratives.
Lansdowne received an MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and a BFA from the Ontario College of Art & Design. His work has been exhibited across North America and in the UK, including the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, Bonington Gallery, Nottingham (United Kingdom), Nancy Margolis Gallery (New York), Joshua Liner Gallery (New York), and CES Gallery (Los Angeles). His work can be found in collections, such as the National Gallery of Canada, TD Bank, the Kimmel Harding Nelson Arts Center (Nebraska), Microsoft Corporation, and RBC. His most recent show took place at the Galerie Nicolas Robert in Montreal, where he is represented.