I bet you look good on the dancefloor

An Exhibition of paintings, video and photographs exploring the relationships, dialogues and loss of inhibition that happen unexpectedly between people when given the chance to hide behind borrowed personas.

I invited a group of people to come dressed as the personas they would most like to be portrayed as in an artwork. I dressed my studio with fabrics and music and put on a spread. As the evening progressed, the invited guests lost themselves to their borrowed identities and I filmed the evening.

The titles for the works and for the exhibition itself, are taken from the playlist of the evening.

"

"Just Like Heaven" (The Cure)

144x112cm

Oil on paper

 

"Why did we fire that gun" (Waldeck)

86x160cm

Oil on paper

 

"Jimmy's Gang" (Parov Stellar)

156x112cm

Oil on paper

 "

 

 "You don't dance to tekno anymore" (Alabama 3)

60x160cm

Oil on paper

 

"I bet you look good on the dancefloor" Arctic Monkeys

140x195cm

Oil on paper

 

"Jolie Coquine" (Caravan Palace)

116x141cm

Oil on paper

 

"I wanted to write you a love song" (Cat Empire)

101x119cm

Oil on paper

 

"Say hello, wave good-bye" (Nouvelle Vague)

110x150cm

Oil on paper

 

"Booty Swing" (Parov Stellar)

160x140cm

Oil on paper

 

"Frenzy" (Screamin' Jay Hawkins)

90x60cm

Oil on paper

 

"It's not over (Death or the toy piano)" (Puppini Sisters)

110x160cm

Oil on paper 

Disengagement

A series of oversized portrait done in oil on paper exploring the moment between poses, when the subject is disengaged from the moment of pose, -not cognizant of the fall of expression or the pull of skin and facial muscle. I wanted to catch the instant, when the subject is considering the next pose and so is removed from the consciousness of me, the artist, documenting the moment

In considering the positure of traditional portraiture, where the sitter engages fully with the viewer and is so aware of the possible interpretation of themselves, I concluded that the rendering of portrait was often not a very true reflection of the subject. The truth of character is to be found in the moments between posing, and I set about to try and capture that moment.

In the placing of the subjects as I have, and in cutting the chest area sharply, I looked to the era of cameos, so popular in the Victorian era, referencing the romanticism of portraiture, and humanity.

 Within my portraits, I would hope for the viewer to form a relationship with the subject, bourne from their imagination, and their relationship with self.

In framing the work with reflective glass, the viewer is made to contemplate the painting through of their own reflection and in doing so, becomes one with the character portrayed in the painting. I believe that we experience qualities of ourselves in all whom we meet, and should perhaps become more aware of those qualities reflected back at ourselves in order for us to understand more, who we are.

 

"Limina V"

140x160cm

Oil on paper

 

"Limina IV"

140x190cm

Oil on paper

 

"Limina I"

140x190cm

Oil on paper

 

"Limina III"

140x190cm

Oil on paper

 

"Limina II"

140x190cm

Oil on paper