Perceptual Space

Yellow Portrait no.2

Perceptual Space Exhibition 2017

R.M Kavanagh has been observing the willing infiltration of technology which occupies our daily lives and puts the family life under the microscope revolving around a glass table.“Perceptual Space”, R.M Kavanagh’s new body of work explores the realms of digital culture as we explore the world where streaming and social media hypnotise ourselves with our personal black mirror. The first visual cocaine for families sold over the counter at a store near you. As children and parents post, share, comment, swipe, scroll, zoom, this all becomes the norm while it is all stored in the cloud above. Is it not a fact that we are all social media dealers feeding each other’s habit by creating an endless supply of visual stimulation? By the time you have finished your coffee, you will have exposed yourself to multiple emotions as a result of viewing murder, genocide, suicide bombers, natural disasters, fluffy cats, dogs in costumes, car crashes, near death incidents, sexy videos etc. Are we desensitising ourselves to life and becoming numb? And what are the unforeseen dangers and consequences for this pocket device?

The answers are blurred but “life is what happens when you’re busy on your device watching other people live”.

In R.M Kavanagh’s early work his principle subject  has always been the human figure in its natural environment, often solitary, treated with a vivid directness. One of the most striking aspects of his work is his ability to grasp the shifting, uneasy nature of relationships and their evolution. Although his strongly modelled faces openly bear the burden of their histories, they also somehow affirm a desire to go on, as if lit from within by an unquenchable hunger.

The dissolving nature of life and the engagement of the inner mechanics of the human structure fascinates and influences R.M Kavanagh’s work. The fragile nature of human life is what we take for granted until tragedy strikes without warning and then only then take notice. R.M Kavanagh is capturing that instant moment of when tragedy and beauty collide which leaves him to contemplate the grey areas in life. His work explores the birth of an idea, it’s existence and demise. Does it die or does it morph and evolve into something more manipulative, complex and beautiful to the viewer in order to deceive? We strive for harmony in the everyday routine but sometimes the mundane cycle of life drags us down into a dark emotional abyss. With Kavanagh’s work we see the familiar and strange, the disturbing yet illuminating manifestations of an inquisitive and provocative mind.

“As an artist I delve into the areas in life which are uncomfortable to ponder and I create those ideas on canvas leaving an everlasting stain on the viewers mind”.