Dreaming As The Summers Die 2017

Zoe Hawk’s painting presents a scene with young girls rendered in a style that feels both familiar and unsettling. I get the feeling that Hawk, while making this, must have been thinking about the boundary between the interior and exterior worlds, and what happens when those lines get blurred. The colors are so vivid and the surface so smooth, but there is a lot of strange stuff happening here. It’s as if she is dreaming, or maybe we are. Notice how the architectural forms intersect with natural elements, creating a sense of unease, or of something not being quite right. Hawk plays with perspective and scale, creating a surreal atmosphere. The girls, who are wearing vintage dresses, are placed in a dreamscape that merges domesticity with something darker. I'm drawn to the brushstrokes in the grass and the way they create movement and depth. This piece reminds me of the way other artists such as Paula Rego and Louise Bourgeois explored the complexities of childhood and the female experience. All of this makes for a rich and layered experience, inviting us to question the narratives we construct about ourselves and the world around us.