“Recognize Me In Everything”

Europa Gallery is pleased to present Recognize Me In Everything, a solo exhibition
by Seattle based artist Lars Bergquist, featuring a new body of oil paintings and
installation work. Marking his first solo exhibition in 10 years, this show reflects on
Bergquist’s return to Seattle after six years spent in Los Angeles and the emotional and
environmental shifts that accompanied that transition.
Set against the backdrop of Seattle landmarks and its surrounding landscapes.
Recognize me in Everything delves into ones own relationship with memories painted
by nostalgia. Through Bergquist’s distinctly troupe l’oil style, he reimagines urban
landscapes into something deeply autobiographical. Weaving together the unique
relationship between identity and place. While living in Los Angeles, Bergquist was
diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma and underwent chemotherapy. A deeply
profound experience that forever changed his relationship with what was and what
remained. Upon returning to Seattle he was confronted with a city and self that felt
simultaneously familiar and transformed.
With this newfound acute awareness between permanence and change Bergquist
posed a series of questions to friends and loved ones : “When I pass will you
remember me? How will you remember me? What triggers thoughts of me in your
mind?”. The responses to these questions became the conceptual framework for many
of the works presented in this exhibition.
Lars Bergquist (b.1977) is a Seattle-based artist from Whidbey Island and Cordova
Alaska. He holds a B.F.A. from Washington State University. His works have been
displayed in Los Angeles institutions, Subliminal Projects, Charlie James Gallery and
The Hole. Created works for Art Basel and Frieze Art Fair. He’s worked with National
Geographic, Campaign For Nature and Amplifier Foundation. His work has been
shown in Juxtapose Magazine and Art Forum