Human figures

Human Figures is an ongoing body of work exploring the fragile balance between individuals and the systems they inhabit.

Through recurring gestures of withdrawal, hesitation, collapse or collective movement, these paintings question what remains of our agency in a world increasingly shaped by economic, social and technological forces.

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Series

SUITS

A man’s suit. A political and economic symbol. The attire of power, an almost too obvious marker of those who hold power — or at least claim it, aspire to it.

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WITHDRAWAL

The Withdrawal series explores those who step back, opt out or fall silent. Bodies that express decision, resignation or exhaustion.

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Composure

We search for, gain, lose, and regain our composure. It’s our daily dance, our pas de deux, with others as much as with ourselves. We hold on to it dearly, as if defending a core belief, even if sometimes we doubt, waver, feel unsure. We must hold on; it’s noble, it’s honourable to maintain our self-control. It’s simple human nature.

More often than not, we see one or two men standing, relentless in their quest to stand their ground, something we all go to great pains to achieve every single day; that in itself is an adventure. Whether standing still, lying on the ground, in a simple or more complex posture, balancing or with feet firmly rooted to the ground, it’s a matter of perseverance. Physical will outweighs any moral predicament. We have to keep going, despite the uncertainty of what might await us further down the line.

When there are two, they come to blows, carry on, or narrowly avoid each other; any gesture is suspended or lost in the midst. Their fists strike a void, their torsos avoid each other, toppling backwards in a sort of reverse salute. While everything may suggest they are fighting, it looks strangely like a gesture of help: mutual support and confrontation existing simultaneously.

Whether consoling or challenging each other, they talk, or at least try. It’s almost as if they’re dancing, each fixing their stare above the other’s shoulder, but pretending not to hear each other’s words or acknowledge each other’s presence. And this second silhouette, which is initially looked down upon, ignored or simply pushed aside, is perhaps just simply another part of its very essence.

The only blows dealt are those to ourselves. These are our internal struggles, our own hand-to-hand combats, which illustrate our need to advance on the big stage, to nurture respect for our constraints, and accept our overwhelming need for free, individual, and autonomous expression.

Two sides of the same man fighting in the twilight.