2020 has been a tough year for everybody. It is always tough for artists and painters but this year has been particularly bad. That informs not just the subject matter of this show but the process and the materials available to me. 

 

Most of these paintings were done during the pandemic. On a very general level, they provide a pool of tension. The tension that interests me the most is the interaction between scientific research, business, and the state. 

 

The tension generated during the pandemic has resulted in an increased transparency about labour and capital. That is, we see that a great deal of damage has been done to the social structures of society.  Stuff that used to be invisible or avoided is in plain view. 

 

When Marx wrote about the revolution, an interesting point he made is that one of the hallmarks of a revolutionary process was the creation of an apparent field of battle between labour and capital.  What is going on becomes obvious.  

 

I have painted this pandemonium 

 

Kevin Whitaker 

November 2020