Twirlers 2019

Zoe Hawk made "Twirlers" sometime in the 20th century, probably using oil on canvas, given the smoothness of the forms. The brick red wall presses down on the scene, doesn't it? It’s like this memory folding in on itself, this looping narrative. I wonder what it was like for Hawk to paint this? The girls whirling, skirts flying, each lost in her own world. And then the girl who has fallen: a sharp contrast. Look at the way the ground tilts. The way the colors have a certain density. The colors feel both sweet and a little sharp like you get when you know something is wrong, but you don't know what exactly. Hawk's choice of color makes this seemingly innocent game into something a little more complex. Hawk and other artists keep the conversations going, each adding their own spin. Painting helps us feel things in our bodies, in our guts. There isn't a definitive meaning in these works and that’s okay.