This exhibition marks a new direction in my practice-an invitation to engage with portraiture not just as representation, but as a shared space for dialogue. In a time of social division and cultural drift, I believe it's the duty of creatives to respond with clarity, compassion, and vision. We must ask how our work can serve not just ourselves, but our communities.
As a studio, this exhibition represents our first question-how can figurative painting evolve to offer a more equitable, inclusive, and participatory visual language? One in which every viewer, and every subject, holds agency. We are exploring new ways of working within the framework of portraiture to reflect the human experience more honestly-less as a fixed image, more as an open conversation.
The traditions of formal portraiture are being dusted down-re-examined and reworked to meet the reality of who we are today. After all, what is a portrait if it doesn't reflect the subject in their truth?
I want this exhibition to be a space where viewers feel seen, invited, and involved. This isn't about dictating a cultural aesthetic-it's about shaping one together. If we are to celebrate our differences, let it be from the shared ground of our universalities.
This is just the beginning. I hope you'll join me, let's start talking.
- Paul Wright