David Hancock

My paintings create an uncanny space, enticing the viewer into a world poised between the real and the surreal, a world that is both tangible and illusory. Positioned centrally in my work, dolls are a recurring motif. I view them as explorations of self, a non-binary avatar aligned to my own personality, tastes, and memories. The dolls are a form of drag. They offer a way for me to inhabit the painting both as the artist and subject.

The Mezzotint process is aligned to my wider practice. The process requires a slow and meticulous revealing of light. The realism allows me to create a sense of unreality. The objects within the work are intentionally perplexing. The paintings might include a collectable toy, a chintzy ornament, or examples of flora and fauna. In recent works, I have been collaborating with a life model, whose presence in the work creates a further shift in the space of the still life, offering a lure to distract from an underlying cognitive rupture. Located in the studio, the myriad references coalesce to create a dual space, one that is both physical and psychological. I merge still life and the imagination, creating a self-contained subconscious world within a single painted plane, where there is room for exploration of an un-gendered liminal space.