Duncan Wylie Opening in Paris, Nov 7

This week a Zimbabwean friend of mine has his opening in Paris, and, at risk of slipping on a puddle of bad taste, may I say this particular migrant is sorely tempted to smuggle himself back onto the trucks at Dover. I am ever a 'Slasher' and I can indeed relate to the precariousness of these layered identities we create thousands of miles from our birthplace. Beautiful work. http://galeriemitterrand.com/fr/expositions/presentation/127/slashers

SLASHERS:  The works presented in this new exhibition are striking in their typology of the figures represented, primarily tightrope walkers and skaters, in a state of precarious equilibrium.These figures are referred to by the artist as ‘slashers.’ This term, coined by Marci Alboher of the NYTimes, is a derivative of ‘slash,’ the typographical symbol (/), omnipresent on the Internet. Duncan Wylie’s ‘slashers’ correspond to a recent sociological classification applied to thirtysomethings who juggle multiple jobs out of economic necessity, but also out of a desire to diversify their professional experience. Between precariousness and the construction of a plural identity, slashers find a particular resonance in Wylie’s work: they are repeated, blended together, and decontextualized from painting to painting. At once universal and immediately identifiable, they remain hermetic and elusive. As Duncan Wylie explains: ‘These figures were not decided on in advance, they are more the result of events taking place in the paintings; they emerge from, and adapt to what is happening in the layers of the painting.’ ​