The Barnard Gallery presents Fumbling Towards Ecstasy – an exhibition of paintings by Tracy Payne.
Taken from the haunting song by Sarah McLachlan, the title provides a poignant hint of Payne’s relentless odyssey in search of self-actualisation. It is about leaving and grieving, loss and reclamation. It is a quest that is skinless, profound and in parts, viscerally painful, but articulated with grace, sensuality and beauty. In parts, Payne has literally inserted herself into the painting by lying on the bed sheets, which serve as giant canvases for some of her more provocative imagery.
But describing this exhibition simply as a “body” of works, while literally accurate, does not encapsulate the spiritual processes and self-interrogation Payne has undertaken in this on-going journey. Continuing from where her previous New Life series left off, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy provides almost a chronological evolution of Payne’s efforts to access spirit through art and her embrace of creativity and creation.
WHEN: September 5 – October 17 / Opening Reception 18:00 / Guest Speaker: Hayley Manson
WHERE: Barnard Gallery 55 Main St Newlands Cape Town
INFO: Barnard Gallery
