Gates opening (2017). Mixed media (acrylic, oil and other painting media) on canvas, 1900 x 2850 mm​

 

As commissioned by the Faculty of Theology, the brief for this painting on one hand concerns an interpretation of the Greek word oikodome, meaning a house with many rooms and, on the other hand, a consideration of the metaphoric processes of the opening of gates, growth and inclusivity on various levels. In response to this brief, a more narrative style of depiction has been adopted in order to make visible these ideas, manifested in the creation of an imagined space. Two open gates bathed in yellow-white light form the conceptual focal point of the painting. To the left and the right of the gates, the solid grid-like structures suggest spaces of dwelling and abode,reminiscent of institutions, systems of thought, buildings or even ladders. At the same time, there are spurts and bursts of new growth surging upwards and towards the open sky above the gates, and by so doing suggest possibility and new configurations. The dualities of old and new, past and present, and existing differences converge in the liminal light of the centre.

​

​