Images from Guy's solo exhibition
The Anguish of The Earth Absolves Our Eyes *
04/06-15/06/2022 at Kate Howe’s Studios / RuptureXIBIT, London.
The Anguish of The Earth Absolves Our Eyes 170 x 600 cm 2021
Freehand lines sweep across the canvas, creating a map of junctions; a bare, skeletal, collapsing grid. On top of the drawn “carcass”, fields of colour are painted to create the “flesh”, draped between earth and sky. Seemingly cheerful, celebratory, the “flags” hold meaning and the reason, yet they also distract the eye from what lies in the distance. The darkness beyond is not fully obscured. It is acknowledged, but not feared. Light and dark exist in equal intensities.
Sasoon reveals that those living in close proximity to death gain an acceptance of it, and equally, a delight in anything that signals life. “Till beauty shines in all that we can see”. Faced with the reality of life on the front, fear gives way to a profound state of understanding. As darkness intensifies, so does light.
The triangular flags make insinuations to the viewer. Sometimes they reveal a smile with big white teeth, a wave vibrating in the wind, a joyous celebration, or a warning, pointing the way to safety. The movements bring life and energy to the static canvas. We understand the messages. We
are trained to react, and we respond without further question.
Bunting may represent an identity, bringing people together to proudly celebrate their shared community and values. Equally it can mark a sinister regime masking its abuse of power. For Europeans steeped in the historical baggage of the 20th century, brightly coloured triangles
represent the branding of minorities and political prisoners. They are badges which dehumanise and obscure the oppressors view of the person behind the triangle.
*Siegfried Sassoon, Absolution, 1917
