Solo Exhibition: Projected Heritage

Each portrait is a retake on the same sitter and setting in different artistic styles, ranging from classical to post-modern.

At first glance, the paintings offer traditional portrait studies, but there are symbols and textures that hint at a deeper meaning. A shared narrative connects the body of work. Along with the change in artist’s style there is a shift in focus from the figure to the background. Hidden symbols (birds, trees, lace and a cat) differ from one painting to the other.

The largest and last painting in the series brings the whole concept together, a confrontation of the two selves (the present and past). The realistic and minimalist approach merge to form a never-ending conversation between the two figures.

The sitter becomes a metaphor for all humans wrestling with identity. An understanding of one’s identity comes through a journey of life’s challenges and influences, but it is not defining. The process of evolving never stops and the future always contain traces of the past.

“The portraiture no longer depicts a still, sitting figure, but represents a continual shift in focus from present day figure to ancestral heritage, from sitter to the surrounding space, from one person to a split into two, from heritage to projected heritage”