The medium of paint is central to my artistic practice and is used ‘conventionally’, i.e. oil on canvas, or as animated scenes in video. Exploration of the narrative potential of figurative painting is essential to my practice.
The common feature of my work is the staging of ambiguous events and juxtaposed dualities. My ideas often draw from Sigmund Freud’s Das Unheimliche, a concept which claims that a simultaneous juxtaposition of contrasting elements or ideas produce an underlying feeling of unease. The imagery in my work frequently features opposed ideas such as humor and dystopian gloom. Furthermore, it tends to be constructed from a wide range of references from art history, popular culture and current affairs. These sources function as springboards for the molding of compositions and their implied narrative content. Ultimately, the purpose of the work is to address and engage the imaginative ability of the spectator.
Thomas Rummelhoff