The Gallery @ Glen Carlou presents Be Still My Heart, a solo exhibition by Oliver Scarlin.
All works in this showcase are portrayed online, but can also be viewed in person at the Gallery @ Glen Carlou through pre-booked private viewings.
This showcase will run from 5 August till 10 October 2020.
Cape Town-based artist, Oliver Scarlin, paints primarily from observation and is interested in exploring perception through form and colour. He makes functional ceramic objects that feature in his still-life work. Beyond the formal elements of painting, the work is designed to feel intimate and is informed by themes of memory, longing, and queer domesticity.
Artist Statement: Be Still My Heart
“When I was younger I had never allowed myself to imagine that I could share a home with another man. Many years have passed since I was that scared teenager, but I am still learning ways to shed the insecurities one forms growing up queer.
I first began making functional ceramic objects in anticipation of moving in with my partner, as I desired to make our shared domestic life uniquely ours. The ceramics became a part of our home but also a part of my painting practice.
The paintings are not made to be realistic, but rather as perceptual responses to sensations of form and colour. The still life, figure and ceramic works inform and mirror each other. Household ceramics are included in simple still-life compositions. Figure paintings of domestic scenes are in turn echoed in small ceramic figures. Textures of pottery, cloth and paper offset organic forms of fruit, sea shells or exposed skin. The work examines the sensual and the mundane, the everyday and the intimate.
This body of work was begun within the first year of living together and finished during lockdown in 2020. These are paintings that have hung on our walls and objects that we place on our table. I wanted each piece – from the simplest still life to the dreamlike figures – to have a sense of stillness and gratitude.” – Oliver Scarlin.
Explore Oliver’s artwork and get in touch with Gallery Manager, Christa Swart, to schedule viewings or inquire about sales.
Email: [email protected]