Tom Polo

Tom Polo
Australian, born 1985; lives and works in Warrane/Sydney

absorb, an echo 2022
synthetic polymer paint, pastel and Flashe on canvas
Courtesy of the artist and STATION, Naarm/Melbourne

Artist statement:

Tom Polo is interested in the emotional and performative relationships between people within social, theatrical and psychological space. In absob, an echo, his signature figures—depicted with exaggerated poses and theatrical gestures—allude to the interactions and exchanges of the everyday, veiled in doubt, intimacy and disguise.

Within this painting, colour and line swirl continuously, creating a space that is restless and full of tension. Set against a brightly hued backdrop, two faces sit in close proximity - one, more mask-like, looks away, cradled (or perhaps, shielded) by the oversized pink hand of the other. Further afield a smaller, yellow face (or is it a flower?) watches on unnoticed, suggesting that our encounters, no matter how slight, have great potentiality in shaping the emotional and physical worlds we inhabit.