Craig Cameron-Mackintosh – a solo exhibition titled ‘Divine’ opens at Ebony/Curated Cape Town on Thursday 29 June and discover what can be seen in obscurity.
What can be seen in obscurity? The question is prompted by Craig Cameron-Mackintosh who, over the past few years, has become known for his portraits of models and friends in silhouette.
They are always backlit, and they are almost always turning away from the viewer. Because theyare painted realistically, as well as to scale, they have a presence. There is a sense that the figure is standing before us, here and now. But then, their features are obscure, their details omitted, their expressions hidden from view. When the figure turns away from us, she begs the question, “What is she looking at?” And then we see colour: vivid purples, vibrant blues, deep reds. The colour, too, has a presence. It hums.
This line of inquiry has guided Cameron-Mackintosh into a new direction. These images are largely devoid of figures. Some are landscapes, others abstract. Like the portraits, they are based on photographs, but whereas the former are sharp and staged, the latter are blurry and spontaneous. As Cameron-Mackintosh puts it, he went foraging in his own archive, moved bythose accidental images: blown-out, out-of-focus, overexposed. To him, these accidents are expressive. Of what, exactly?
These luminous shadows, as the exhibition’s title professes, have a divine quality to them. Cameron-Mackintosh admits that divine images have a prevalent place in his unconscious mind.
The paintings that are the most vibrant or celestial – and thereby, by the logic of religious painting, the holiest – are actually
close-ups of a sequin jacket and the folds of a shirt. Cameron-Mackintosh takes these mundane objects, these ordinary moments, and elevates them to the divine.
Take up this ‘Divine’ invitation and head for Ebony/Curated Cape Town.
WHAT: Craig Cameron – Mackintosh – ‘Divine’
WHERE: EBONY/CURATED, 67 Loop Street, Cape Town 8001
WHEN: opening Thurs 29 June 5:00 – 8:00pm | Mon to Fri 09:30 – 17:00; Sat 09:30 – 13:00
INFO: T+27 (0)21 424 9985 I Visit | info@ebonycurated.com
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