Tropicana
Gerwyn Davies
- Sitter: Gerwyn Davies
- Medium: Photograph
- Dimensions: 105cm x 125cm
- Representation: Jan Murphy Gallery
About the artwork
This is the third time Gerwyn Davies has been selected as a finalist in the Brisbane Portrait Prize. His distinctly recognisable photographic self-portraits show him dressed in extravagant costumes, his face always concealed, continuing his investigation into issues of queer identity.
“Tropicana reflects my ongoing interest in elaborate acts of self-representation as well as the powerful potentials of queer in/visibility. Combining my love for costume making, performative photography and slickened pictures, in Tropicana I take the form of a low budget cabana boy, sculpturally enveloped in pool cleaning hose and stood against the pastel backdrop of a cheap and cheerful tropical motel.”
In this work, Davies is once again hidden beneath a humorous and meticulously constructed costume, hiding in plain sight, visible yet invisible. Surreal and playful, it explores camp aesthetics and subverts the traditional idea of portraiture as a means to reveal the subject’s identity to the viewer.
About the artist
Gerwyn Davies is a queer artist working across photography, costume and textiles. He completed a Bachelor of Photography and taught at Queensland College of Art. He has had many solo exhibitions and his work is held in public collections. Davies has been a finalist in multiple major art prizes and won the Olive Cotton Award for Photographic Portraiture in 2023.
