Hyperrealistic Exhibit

WARNING: Contains images that some may deem NSFW

Shattered - A Self-Portrait, Jamie Salmon

2013, silicone, pigment, fiberglass, acrylic, hair, lifesize

This work presents the fragmenting shell of a middle-aged man's face and shoulders. His expression displays deep introspection combined with despair and shock. The man's turmoil is rendered as a snapshot, revealing a violent reaction slowed by the ballast of his life's experiences --- a linear progression of expectation, purpose, self-sacrifice, loss, and regret.

Woman and Child, Sam Jinks

2010, Silicone, pigment, resin, human hair

This work depicts a woman near the end of her life, lovingly cradling a child near the beginning of theirs. The aged woman’s eyes are closed, her head bowed, expression difficult to read. Is that regret? A promise? A moment of comfort? The baby stares off with aggressive curiosity, brow furrowed, mouth puckered, their little body otherwise lying content against the older woman.

Still Life (Pietà), Sam Jinks

2007, Silicone, pigment, resin, human hair

Beauty and goodness, And Grief and pity, alive in the dead marble, Do not, as you do, weep so loudly, Lest before time he should awake form death, In spite of himself...’. Giovan Battista Strozzi il Vecchio's poem on Michelangelo’s Pietà at St Peter’s Basilica

This work alludes to the Western religious art 'Pietà', also called a ‘lamentation’, normally an image of the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Christ. Here, the artist's references the Buddhist meditation practice of visualising the decay of one’s own body as a means of bringing the mind to terms with the body’s inevitable end, contemplating the limits of humanism and secularism.

Pieta

Bust of Bald Man, Jamie Salmon

2015, Silicone, pigment, resin, human hair

This man has the classic look of a person intently focused, and about to strike, if needed. His forward-leaning posture combined with the expression of concentration, eyes narrowed and furrowed brow, show that he is thinking very deeply, and inclined to act. The bust is partial, hollow, and ragged on the edges, but his head is fully formed and completely realistic.

X-Statix, Jason de Graaf

2010, Acrylic on Canvas

This painting stages an alternate reality, the illusion of verisimilitude on the painted surface. The painting renders a photo-realistic marble resting on a colourful background — photo-realistic, yet those with a discerning eye will note the artist has also created an illusion of depth, volume, and a sense of presence not found in photographs.

Eight, Jason de Graaf

2016, Acrylic on Canvas

This work depicts a masterful rendition of eight photo-realistically painted glass vessels of different size and shape standing against a scintillating city skyline at night. This study in visual deception explores the relationship of light with reflective and transparent surfaces. Those with heightened senses should be particularly impressed — the artist’s dedication to their craft is executed with such stunning precision, one might wonder if their gifts are truly natural.

Parisian Picnic 3, Juan Francisco Casas

2016, Blue BIC pen on paper

This piece is part of a collection described as ‘sex and violence reproduced in detail with a ballpoint pen’. The artist claims to tell the story of heartbreak in relationships, by rendering photos he has taken into hyperrealistic images using the ubiquitous blue ballpoint. This work shows a blonde woman cradling her head, lying disrobed and prone in a pile of leaves. Her face is obscured, leaving the observer to wonder at her motivation.

Self Portrait, Juan Francisco Casas

2010, Blue pen ink on paper

This selfie, faithfully reconstructed in blue ballpoint pen, continues the story of Parisian Picnic --- or perhaps this is where the story begins. The artist's face is being mercilessly manhandled by a pair of feminine hands. His glasses askew, his lips painfully pinched, eyes squinting as she captures the moment. It is hard to know if they were still friends after this selfie was taken.