In painting, as in music, we encounter a liminal space, one which does not presuppose an already present way of communicating through words. This connection depends on a series of non-discursive and abstract encodings that grants us access to the sensitivities and nuances of personhood that are not reducible to language.
In my work, I use painting, drawing, singing and performance to explore themes around identity, intimacy and the other. My project is interested in the use of expressive visual and aural surfaces to interact with the beholder in order to unravel that liminal space we engage with when coming to know the ‘other’. My paintings and vocals suggest an internal dialogue, one preoccupied with philosophical undercurrents of the ways in which we might explore identity.
This series of sonic and painted portraits intentionally crosses disciplines and delves into the vulnerable space between intimacy and estrangement in our connections with the people around us, exploring the ability of the mediums of paint and performance to reveal elements of individuality, identity, ’the self’ and ‘the other’ in the work.
Lois Kelleher
Inside Voice: Encountering the Other in performance and transitive painting
she/her
Judith, oil on canvas, 40 x 30cm
Joe, oil on canvas, 35 x 25cm
Julia, oil on canvas, 35 x 25cm
Faye, oil on canvas, 40 x 30cm
Brothers, oil on canvas, 100 x 100cm
Research
Observational study no. 1
Observational study no. 2
Observational study no. 3
Observational study no. 4