Observers of being

Highly commended

2019
oil on canvas
123 x 77 cm

Artist statement

Observers of being is part of a series of works, Six ways to kill, that is used by the artist to explore the reframing effects military service has had on his view of the world. The body has been central to his experience as an artist prior to service, and as a close-quarters fighting instructor in his career in Army. The Army experience distorted the previous aesthetic view of the body, changing it to one of predator and prey. This work seeks to question what the body means to both the artist and observer as a vessel of experience, wounding and sensation.