Parlament Lights 2005

Arsen Savadov made this diptych called 'Parliament Lights' and it feels like its painted on a really textured surface, maybe canvas, or even just a wall. It’s like Savadov's playing with how we see these two characters, or types. The one on the left with the lamp is all lit up, smooth lines, looking up in hope? Then you got the other one on the right, darker, rougher, cigarette hanging from his lips. Is he shouting into the darkness? The way the light catches the lamp and the right side portrait gives them an interesting feel, like they are trapped in amber. The painting has got this graphic quality, like it’s been blown up from a small image. I’m thinking of artists like Peter Doig who plays with representational painting in a non-representational way, whose paintings also embrace uncertainty and ambiguity.