Unbound (Oliver's Story)
900 x 700mm
oil and silver leaf on board
Available for purchase from Modern Eden Gallery
Or use contact page for enquiries.
Poem 'Unbound' by Carsten Grimm
The wind was from the south
Hidden layers kept out the false coldness, collars were up and I wore everything too tight
There is only rumpled reminders of that winter
Your warm hands can’t remember or are too timid to be honest
And I want to move to the north further still
Like you, like your latitude
But you keep staring at the chill running through last season
A note from the artist:
There are many hidden aspects to this painting
that give quiet clues to Oliver's Story.
There is an equal balance of pink and blue, which hint at a transitioning sexuality.
The chaos of abstraction in this work, almost violent in movement, relates to the surgical change, which I think of as being violent in nature.
There is a definite sweep of paint showing a remaining curve to his waist, the other side in contrast is less distinct as his body transforms towards the masculine.
The figure behind is comforting and intentionally painted to be more feminine and motherly. He offers a gentle embrace but there is a complexity to this relationship as he loves her, but she has become he.
The lashings of black paint across his face represents the permanency of his decision to move from female to male.
This is my most challenging piece for you to access and this is intentional. It is respectful of a heroic change- a coming home for Oliver.
