28 april – 19 may 2007
Opening: Saturday 28 April 2007,  5-7pm

> Headroom
by Tracy Lynch and Francois van Reenen

 

Tracy Lynch: Boy with Finger Puppet no.1, 2007                               Francois van Reenen: Monster Love, 2006

Headroom is a collaboration between artist Tracy Lynch and Francois van Reenen. Each are exhibiting canvasses and various props in the form of van Reenen’s sculptures and Lynch’s found objects. In addition Lynch’s portraits of children and van Reenen’s paintings of puppies deal with the concept of vulnerability and innocence in a benign universe.

Lynch’s portraits engage with wider themes, they are not about the subject as an individual but rather they embody a general state of mind, there is a sense of random identity in their simplified facial features. The smooth surfaces of the faces are white washed and remote with a powdered finish, reminiscent of Geisha or manga heroines. These surfaces are then dissolved with layers of pattern applied cosmetically over their stylized features. These images of beauty are questionable in a society disempowered by fear and violence.

Van Reenen’s loosely painted black and white portraits of puppies on canvasses deal with the “cute” and helplessness of the newly born. These characters are juxtaposed by vibrantly coloured flat cartoon characters based on his sculptural pieces. The painted canvasses co-exist with CG animation displayed on screen. The animation generates a fast paced energy that is locked in a dialogue with the static image on the canvas. The sculptural pieces of toy like entities are the props that feature in the mixed media paintings.