The Everard Read Gallery in Cape Town is delighted to present an exhibition of recent paintings by Caryn Scrimgeour. This solo show represents the culmination of a year’s work and will feature 23 oil paintings of intricately detailed objects displayed against densely textured, patterned fabrics.

For Scrimgeour the genre of still-life serves as the departure point for a painterly sleight of hand in the form of the ancient tradition of trompe l’oeil painting.

The aerial perspective adopted by Scrimgeour propels her imagery firmly into a contemporary context, imbuing it with offbeat, photo-real resonance.

The technique of trompe l’oeil’ inevitably demands exceptional virtuosity on the part of the artist. But Scrmgeour’s concerns transcend technical acumen in the service of optical trickery.

Her choice of imagery, while varied, veers towards the fragile and fragmented, with objects evoking nostalgia, solitude and alienation.

Scrimgeour’s place-settings, dinnerware and off-beat delicacies – juxtaposed with strategically mismatched eating utensils - serve both as quirky cultural chimeras and powerful personal metaphors.

Scrimgeour acknowledges that her choice of table adornments derives from “a personal reflection of occurrences and events which have had a significant impact in my life… (They) trace a journey which could easily be applied to any woman living anywhere in the world independent of the demographics or political aspects of a situation.”

Caryn Scrimgeour’s Fragile, Fertile Deceptions:

Date: 2 – 16 October 2008
Venue: Everard Read Art Gallery
Location: 3 Portswood Road | V&A Waterfront | Cape Town

Be a witness of the Caryn Scrimgeour’s splendid work!

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