Space 3
Mais la douleur nous rend fous
Angus White

Exhibition dates. 1 - 12 Dec 2021
Opening Thurs 2 Dec 2021, 6:00 - 8:30 pm

This body of work attempts to grapple with the ever-difficult landscape of human connection. The paintings offer a voyeuristic insight of various sexual encounters and emotional responses to the navigating of this landscape.

In a hope to shine light on the importance of finding connection to those around us, the series of paintings offer moments, scenes, and things that represent the sometimes-turbulent journey of uncovering these connections. Friends, partners, mothers, fathers, neighbours, teachers, outsiders; we all subconsciously strive for relationships with others. As far into the void one might alienate themselves and reject this search for connections; to retire oneself to loneliness would be in search for a better connection with themselves.

The subjects weave in and out of each other as they share focus between both queer and straight interactions through to highlight the mundanity of these encounters but also suggesting their utmost importance in the lives of humans.

While the paintings offer no clear pathway to understanding exactly how to navigate the world of sexual/nonsexual interactions, they attempt to offer a vivid collection of moments and encounters that perhaps viewers can resonate with to evoke the sense that they are not alone when facing the challenging world of understanding their own sexuality. A chaotically beautiful landscape that can conceive so much joy and harbour so much anguish.

This series of paintings attempts to act as the bridge between what happens behind closed (bedroom) doors in people’s lives and the associated beauty that everyone should experience. They are to break down barriers that are often erected and stop us from sharing and openly talking about these moments which, once faced with the possibility that everyone struggles at some point when dealing with love and relationships, then become significantly less daunting to overcome.

The volume of work included in this series attempts to find a part inside any person that looks at it. Perhaps we are all just looking at art in search of the same connection. Here, this body of work positions the view to ask themselves: what part of me am I choosing not to connect with?

Exhibition View