Lives of Others
In this series, I began with a friend’s Facebook profile. I painted a circle of her friends, who had recently moved to Berlin. I hoped to gain a sense of what their lives and experiences were like starting out as young adults in the city. I observed them with a twinge of envy; they had their youth and belonged to a closely knit group. They seemed so carefree, while I was broke and burnt out after the closure of my gallery.
This series is about voyeurism - but unlike a real voyeur, I didn't have to hide in the shadows. They presented themselves willingly. I realised that there were things I could and could not know in these photos. I could not paint the dynamics between the individuals, and I wasn't shown everything I wanted to see in their lives. However, I felt I was able to glimpse into their individual personalities.
‘Wilde is proving that the more we turn ourselves into instant (and fleeting) objects for casual inspection, the more, conversely, human we remain.’ — R.M. Vaughan
