The Distance Between Us
I have always been fascinated with the intricate triangular relationship between the artist, the model, and the viewer. This fascination finds its deepest expression in my “Relationships Series,” a body of work that began as a series of figure studies in 2010 but soon evolved into a meditation on a single theme: the distance between us.
I was drawn to the space between two figures, in both a spatial and an emotional sense. These paintings explore that invisible, yet palpable, distance that persists even in moments of apparent intimacy. They are about the chasm that can exist in an embrace, the silent expanse across a shared bed, the profound truth that even in our most cherished connections, we remain distinctly separate. It’s as if we are each our own island, our shores occasionally touching, but our inner landscapes remaining our own.
The introduction of a second figure onto the canvas transforms it into a silent stage. It compels you, the viewer, to become a storyteller, to bridge the gap with your own experiences. In a world that idealizes the notion of “soulmates,” of two becoming one, my work questions this. How well can we ever truly know another person? These paintings hold a mirror to our own connections, inviting us to contemplate the beautiful, fragile, and often mysterious distance between us.
“…between the closest human beings infinite distances continue to exist” – Rainer Maria Rilke
