LOS ANGELES.- Scottish artist Henry Coombes explores the tension between instinctual, natural impulses and the constraints of polite society. He presents viewers with seemingly idyllic scenarios that gradually delve into the deeper, darker inclinations of human nature. In two of his recent films—Laddy and the Lady (2005) and Gralloch (2007)—actors don animal costumes and the traditional sportsman attire of the British elite, playing out scenes at once amusing, disturbing, and surreal. Both films will be on view in the Hammer’s Video Gallery marking Coombes’ first exhibition in an American museum.

Henry Coombes was born in London in 1977 and lives in Glasgow. He studied at Central St. Martin’s College of Art as well as the Glasgow School of Art, receiving his BFA in 2002. Solo exhibitions of his work include those at Sorcha Dallas, Glasgow; Anna Helwing, Los Angeles; and Susie Q Project Space, Zurich. His films have been screened at numerous festivals in Scotland, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, and Canada, and he was one of six artists chosen to represent Scotland at the 52nd Venice Biennale in 2006. This is Coombes’ first solo museum exhibition. Henry Coombes will discuss his Hammer Project at an Artist Talk on Saturday, August 9, at 3pm, in Gallery 6 of the Hammer Museum.