Shane McGowan - 'Fractured'

 

Wednesday 16 October - Sunday 10 November 2019

Wednesday 22 January - Sunday 2 February 2020 (remounted for Midsumma Festival 2020)

  

At a time when truth is deemed fluid and subjective, I was curious to see how the meaning of an image is determined by context. How can we be sure that an image we’re viewing is authentic and true, and does that even matter?

Focusing upon the male head, I sourced photographs from the internet: images of far right protestors and of men praying; images from wellness blogs, advertising stock photos and from gay porn. Having isolated the heads and eliminated all background and foreground noise, I added another layer of separation from the original photos by drawing them on paper.

I had been working digitally for almost twenty years and so, with these images, it was important for me to slow the process down by returning to a traditional medium. Drawing with coloured pencils provided a form of meditative concentration. Building up the layers slowly and methodically gave me a chance to sit with each head as it emerged organically.

I want these pieces to interact with each other in the space. Fractured from their original source they are now bonded in the gallery space. These images may suggest a commonality but things are never quite what they seem.