Repression
This artwork is available for purchase. Please contact the exhibiting gallery for details
Highly Commended - Works on Paper
Artwork Statement
As time decays our emotions become a facade. Our inner selves are urged to hide our emotions and we’re so fond of being good at it. Feelings such as sadness, confusion and fear are all hidden and bottled up, ensuring the only witness to view them is ourselves. Through every facial expression, a twitch in the eye, a drop of a smile, a shake in our body, our true emotions are seen but not witnessed. Without paying attention or asking for help, we deteriorate. A fake smile disrupts who we truly are, and what is left is a lie.
Curator's Comment
A considered approach to the self-portrait that explores the duality of conceal/reveal. The drawing thoughtfully breaks pieces of the body but not as holes or gaps, rather as additional puzzle like pieces that extend the body and emotion. The doubling of the body parts in alternative formations is an interesting strategy – it exaggerates and confuses the feeling.
About the artist
Charlie Mulligan is a young artist whose practice centres on self-portraiture. Mulligan creates his art with graphite, achieving a realistic effect. His aim is to provoke the emotion of his audience in order to infiltrate their focus and help guide them to see the hidden stressors that the world holds.