Ed Templeton: The Sprawl (pre-order)

Pre-order. Copies expected to arrive at the end of April.

Book made to accompany Ed Templeton's show at Tim Van Laere Gallery in Antwerp that presents a new series of paintings, alongside photographs, drawings, and sculptures.   The word “sprawl” refers to Templeton's birthplace of Huntington Beach, in Orange Counrty, California, where he still lives and works, in the suburban area south of Long Beach and Los Angeles. As Templeton explains: “It takes one hour of driving from LA to my house and it's non-stop cement and asphalt - continuous development.” Part of what drove this expansion in the 1950s and 60s was called "white flight" - a term used to describe the mass migration of white people from cities to more distant suburbs as a response to the growing racial and ethnic diversity in urban areas post-desegregation. This is a sub-narrative setting a contextual framework for the specific mixture of modern beach culture and suburban sprawl that Templeton depicts in his work. The beach and the pier are popular places and bring together the religious zealots, surfers, and tourists alike. The endless blocks of tract housing surrounded by walls are ubiquitous in this area. These walls act like a theater backdrop in these new paintings. Templeton: “My work over the last decade has been in direct dialogue with the people, the environment, and the architecture of this place I live in."

Title: The Sprawl
Publisher: Tim Van Laere Books, 2025
Author: Ed Templeton
Format: Harback
Size: 174 pp, 8 x 10 inches
ISBN: 9789464004335