Edward Steichen once stated that, “the goal of art was the vital expression of the self.” Throughout the post-modern era this archetype has changed. Artists have shifted their focus away from the self, often to purely concept-driven works, which focus on systemic or cultural phenomena. Many enjoy reading about this type of art, but a roomful of these pieces may leave viewers with an empty feeling. The purpose of this exhibition is to re-introduce works which explore the self. In so doing, they offer a perspective which may be seen as analogous to parallax – an effect whereby objects appear to differ when viewed from alternate positions.

The four artists whose work is represented here, Amanda Arcuri, Julia Martin, Rekha Ramachandran, and Ryan Van Der Hout, are all emerging artists struggling to find a sense of identity within a world of art which remains in flux. Whilst they are contemporaries, their works represent highly differing views of both aesthetic sensibility and conceptual approach. Their views of self are in true parallax.