Afloat by Hamish Wilson

This portrait of Kai James, lead singer and songwriter of Brisbane rock band Girl and Girl, is a study in the fragility of human experience. Hamish Wilson has captured Kai James in a quiet momennt, appearing vulnerable and distracted by his own thoughts.

The band has grown in a few short years from jamming in family garages, to being signed by Virgin and Sub Pop. The emotive and sometimes dark content of his songs is reinforced by his stage presence.

In the portrait, he’s looking to a point outside the canvas as he stretches his arm above his head in a nervous gesture. The gestural brushstrokes reflect his deep and emotive thinking.

Kai James says the new single, Hello, is “… the story of a young man who requires daily consults with health professionals to rationalise his self-destructive thoughts and routines. It’s about romanticising your own misery.”

A sense of unbalance is reinforced in the portrait by the composition with the crossed legs looming forward and the chair seeming to tilt as the floor comes forward.

“Imagine you’re one of a hundred musicians in 2018 in Brisbane, jamming for fun with your friends in your mother’s rural garage. The next thing you know you’re touring America for the first time while on the verge of releasing your debut album. On stage each night, you’re doing your best to exorcise your demons. And Kai James has a lot of those.”