2019
Acrylic, charcoal and spray paint on board
Triptych
1830mm (H) x 3660mm (W)
Boys seek other ways to gain self-esteem: they form hierarchies. This need to establish a pecking order is exacerbated by the fact that boys tend to socialize in larger, less intimate groups. This linking of self-worth to status has pervaded the whole business of being a man. To feel better about themselves, boys have to feel better than others. (Perry, n.d.)
My practice is a continued investigation into how masculine identity is formed, developed and expressed in the world. But also, how others perceive, react and respond to this ‘Masculine Performance’ by unpacking how and why men learn, then propagate and perpetuate ideas of masculinity throughout their life. The works address the burden of masculinity, the burden bound up in the collective practice of performing masculinity: loneliness, depression, violence, conspicuous over-consumption and the propensity for risk-taking.
The performance of the painter becomes critical but how can this performance be calibrated to celebrate the potential of the medium while avoiding it being a simplistic celebration of all things male? What can paint contribute to the content of the work and, more specifically, how can paint represent and embody those notions, rather than merely re-presenting observed action via a photo referent.