Oil in linen

Lucy Whitehead

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Whitehead’s practice explores themes of human embodiment. She is interested in moments where we come abruptly and inescapably aware of how our physical self is not something we possess or control, but rather something we inhabit. Her paintings are marked by bodies and limbs that bruise, bloat, swell, and sag in an emotional palette of burning pinks and pulsing blues, and sallow greens and fading greys. In becoming aware of our physical misgivings and limitations, we establish our positions in the world and what we can make of it. The canvas edge serves as a metaphor for these contingencies. Figures devoid of any discernible identity or gender, squeeze into the boundaries of the picture plane, ultimately dictated by and succumbing to their existence. By allowing the work to evolve through the unpredictable nature of mark-making, these beings exist on a sliding scale of figuration and abstraction, teetering on the edge of plausibility.