Meet 2 new artists: George Marrington and Errol Theunissen

George Marrington: A winner of the 2023 Platform Graduate Award, the youthful bodies that populate George Marrington’s paintings are aware of the viewer but never make direct eye contact. They know they are being watched, that we are looking at them. A sideways glance, a moment’s hesitation, or an encouraging nod is enough to acknowledge the camera taking the photos from which the paintings are derived. The translation of the photographic into paint is part of an editing process that allows the artist to reinterpret existing material and, in doing so, propose new readings. Yet, the paintings never truly abandon their photographic base. Too painterly to truly be film stills, the furtive glances of the figures nonetheless imply movement and hint at moving image. Overtones of film genres spanning neorealism, drama and romance fill the paintings. As viewers, we are given space to think and to wonder alongside the desire to return, to revisit the images.

Errol Theunissen: In Errol Theunissen’s paintings, day-to-day activities feel strange, exciting, full of possibility. Looking at the paintings, we are immediately drawn to the people around which the compositions revolve. However, the human body occupies relatively little pictorial space. It is the surrounding space that makes the paintings full of intrigue and interest, providing possibilities for narrative. The frequent depiction of animals, in particular dogs, puts the human body into action, holding a ball or toy, or simply engaging in an act of play. All of this is key to building a composition, yet no less important are the layers of meaning encoded in the images. Colour appears heightened with an unexpected vibrancy, something that Theunissen attributes to his memories of Africa. As such, the paintings are situated somewhere between past and present, between memory and now. It is this that makes them feel so pertinent and pressing.

Care Free by George Marrington