Some High Thoughts
Stuart Lantry (b.1990) makes installations, sculptures, videos and drawings that offer absurd meditations on how we create both meaning and a sense of self from the routines of our everyday life. Raised in Los Angeles, Lantry received his MFA in Painting from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2016 and his BA magna cum laude with High Honors in Studio Art from Dartmouth College in 2012. His work has been shown across the U.S. with exhibitions in New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Providence and many more. Stuart currently lives and works in Philadelphia, PA.
This body of work is part of an ongoing attempt by the artist to document every thought he has ever had on hand-made steel Post-its. Through this laborious Sysiphean task, Lantry hopes to elevate the Post-it, one of the most humble and transitory physical containers of ideas, into an Art object that could potentially outlive himself. The ideas contained in these Post-its represent thoughts from August 2024- January 2025.
This project also attempts to increase empathy in viewers. As soon as Lantry began documenting his thoughts, it became clear that almost none of these ideas were unique to his own consciousness, but rather, ideas emerge and re-emerge between people over time. When we limit the view of a 'self' to a singular, holistic entity, it is natural to focus on the differences between oneself and others; however, by presenting a fractured and fragmented self-portrait of thoughts, it becomes almost natural to spot the similarities and connections between the artist, viewers and others.
As an avid cannabis user, Stuart Lantry felt that the nature of his project, its presentation, the audience and venue felt like an effortlessly perfect match. As an artist, Lantry works to subvert the inherent elitism of the Art World. Just as cannabis can cause a perspective shift that can cause the user to think about the complexities of life in new and exciting ways, "some high thoughts" offers a chance encounter with humorous, approachable conceptual art to an open-minded audience at a price point that anyone can afford. Everyone who has smoked has had some high thoughts, Lantry is simply trying to share all of his.