Merging traditional oil painting with an absurd and uncomfortable setting, the Thirty Bathrooms project alludes to the complex notion of “incarnation” and the quest for beauty in the grotesque. Each painting was created on site—from inside the stall—and each visit was documented with video. The initial installation of the project formed a triptych with the grid of painted panels between two footage videos which capture the process and the cleansing ritual. The project journal that accompanies the series contains photographs of each painting’s process and setting, as well as hand-written reflections from each session.
Current Exhibition: “The Beautiful” group exhibition by CIVA (Christians in the Visual Arts). Beginning January 2018, this group exhibition will tour North America and be displayed in various galleries over the next couple of years.
Thirty Bathrooms, oil on wood panels (8″ x 8″ each), Spring 2016
Thirty Bathrooms (temporary installation), New Hampshire Institute of Art, Summer Residency 2016
Paintings in situ
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Tessa Davidson 