Painting
Kelly O’Leary
Le quotidien
My artwork depicts a simple and often overlooked setting, the restroom. I was initially drawn to the idea of exploring restrooms as they are often overlooked as being dull, dirty and uninteresting spaces. To the contrary, I found subtle clues throughout these environments which inevitably encourage a different outlook to be formed on these spaces.
I focused on aspects of the bathroom which symbolise a daily routine. I wanted to enhance the environments I was depicting by bringing life to their otherwise dull and clinical setting. I felt it was important to focus on domestic bathrooms and the inanimate objects found within. To me, these objects perfectly capture a personal, unique and human side to these spaces.
The simplicity of a towel and rack sitting adjacent to the sink is a reminder that we strive for convenience in routine. We as humans look for the most efficient way to get tasks done. The impressive mechanical functionality of a tap or the toilet is a testament to human ingenuity and creativity. A simple tap or the shiny metal flushing mechanisms found on every toilet do not work without human interaction.
The most basic facility, the restroom can be a place of peace, quiet and comfort, a place where one can ponder. As we intrude on these intensely close and personal spaces, we become aware of our own complicity and the vulnerability of being a human being. We humans are creatures of necessity and habit. We are all unique and complex in our needs and differ from each other much like tiles found in separate bathrooms. We may be distinguished from each other by our appearances, nationalities, race or sexual preference. In the end however, we are all human. We strive for symbiotic relationships with our environments and with those around us.