THE PHOENIX AND THE THIEF

2021

Synthetic polymer on canvas

82 x 66 cm

Artist statement:

TENSION POINT

It’s like a rubber band, winding up, tighter and tighter.

One end turns in a clockwise direction, in slow measured rotations. The other turns erratically in the opposite direction at variable speeds. The space between becomes twisted, contorted and closer to either a point of snapping under the strain, or unwinding in an explosive instant.

Tension Point is an exploration of this moment where instinct and intellect, rational structure and passionate vitality (or what Nietzsche describes in the Birth of Tragedy as the Apollonian and Dionysian) meet and art is realised. Leaning into levity and drawing from serious artworks of the Early 20th century, renaissance, baroque and romantic periods, this work taps into the peculiarities within our social media feeds and creates a new mythology of chaotic festivals, tiger hunts and boxing matches.