Possible Outcomes

"Possible Outcomes is an exhibition in two parts. The first part simply continues my interest in finding ways to describe light using paint. Certainly not a new idea in the history of painting, nevertheless it is a pursuit that continues to inspire artists. This aspect of the paintings is coupled with a combined interest in abstraction and figuration. However, it is not an entirely formal project as the paintings also represent contemporary narratives culled from everyday life here in the city. What I refer to as finding the poetic in the quotidian. As most of the paintings are based on photographic sources they also participate in the continuing dialogue between photography and painting. One of the points of intersection are the surfaces of the paintings that bring to mind the effects of time and circumstance on the photographic emulsion.

"Among the ideas behind the work is what is commonly known as the ‘Butterfly Effect’. It is a theoretical supposition from chaos theory that considers how one small action like that of a mere flap of a butterfly wing can result in wildly differing consequences. Recent personal events have led me to wonder how things might have been different had the slightest thing been different. If leaving on a different day or stepping an inch to the left could have resulted in a completely different situation.

"The second part of the exhibition is my contribution for a commission by CATIE, (the Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange). Andy Fabo, Daryl Vocat, Sybil Lamb, Chiedza Pasipanodya, Julian Calleros and myself were asked to produce works for the Gay Men’s Risk Communication Project. The aims of the project are to create a new set of national resources and cultural artifacts that aim to ‘shift the dialogue’ on HIV among gay/bi men. The artworks will be used in various forums to encourage more community discussion and engagement, to challenge HIV stigma, and explore new options for preventing HIV transmission. The project is sex-celebratory, asset-based and poz inclusive. It hopes to help people make informed choices about their own risk management. The inclusion of this set of drawings in the exhibition is part of this process through which we might see best of all possible outcomes."

Stephen Andrews 10 VII 2014