4me4you recently visited Monsters, Chambers, and Trapdoors, a captivating exhibition at Gillian Jason Gallery, showcasing the latest works by Georgia Dymock. In this thought-provoking body of work, Dymock invites viewers into a world where myth, fantasy, and identity intertwine, populated by voluminous, anthropomorphic figures that challenge conventional narratives around gender, sexuality, and the human form. With her intricate compositions, Dymock delves deep into the subconscious, exploring themes of transformation, desire, and the complexities of selfhood.
In 'Monsters, Chambers, and Trapdoors', Georgia Dymock explores the idea of identity, saturating her figures with subtle mythological and fantastical traits. In doing so, the artist invites viewers to question traditional narratives and their own perceptions of heroism and monstrosity.
4me4you recently visited Monsters, Chambers, and Trapdoors, a captivating exhibition at Gillian Jason Gallery, showcasing the latest works by Georgia Dymock. In this thought-provoking body of work, Dymock invites viewers into a world where myth, fantasy, and identity intertwine, populated by voluminous, anthropomorphic figures that challenge conventional narratives around gender, sexuality, and the human form. With her intricate compositions, Dymock delves deep into the subconscious, exploring themes of transformation, desire, and the complexities of selfhood.
In Bathers, 2024, Dymock juxtaposes the soft, flowing contours of submerged bodies with the stark, metallic sharpness of their heads, creating a fragmented depiction of the female form. The result is a striking image of oversized limbs, gleaming skin, and predatory teeth.
Drawing inspiration from the late 16th-century painting Gabrielle d’Estrées and One of Her Sisters (artist unknown), where a provocative nipple-pinching gesture commands attention, Dymock amplifies this motif by sharpening the lines of the hand in her work, making it a focal point against the surrounding fluid, softer shapes.
At the heart of Monsters, Chambers, and Trapdoors is the idea of identity, explored through figures imbued with subtle mythological and fantastical traits.
By saturating her creations with elements of the unreal, Dymock urges us to question not only the nature of heroism and monstrosity but also how we perceive ourselves and others. One recurring motif in her recent works is the pairing of figures—often physically close yet emotionally distant.
In Octopus Hat, 2024, the protagonist draws inspiration from Ursula, the menacing villain of The Little Mermaid, while the dolphins evoke Raphael’s The Triumph of Galatea (1512), where a dolphin is shown biting into an octopus. Dymock mirrors this tension by depicting characters on the cusp of conflict—either pulling or biting—creating a dynamic interplay between aggression and play.
In Pulling Hair, 2024, Dymock reinterprets the Grimm Brothers’ Rapunzel, offering a darker take that critiques the sanitized, “Disneyfied” version of the tale. A butterfly, bizarrely equipped with humanoid hands and a toothy grin, subverts the creature’s traditional association with delicate beauty, introducing an unsettling sense of duality.
The scene is further complicated by the presence of a vampire, whose wide-eyed stare directly challenges the viewer. This inclusion highlights the artist’s ongoing exploration of deviant and unconventional characters, blurring the lines between innocence and menace.
Drawing inspiration from Plato’s concept of the soulmate, where humans were once unified beings with four arms, four legs, and two heads, Dymock explores the aching separation and yearning that followed their division by Zeus.
These paired figures, while physically intimate, convey a palpable sense of detachment, creating a tension that highlights the alienation and objectification of the human body. The cold, metallic surfaces of these figures further emphasise their non-human qualities, evoking a chilling sense of robotic detachment.
In Sucking Thumbs, 2024, Dymock conjures a mythical scene set within a timeless archipelago, drawing inspiration from the sirens of Homer’s Odyssey—bewitching figures whose songs lured sailors to their doom. The painting depicts two figures: one casting a coy glance over her shoulder, the other boldly locking eyes with the viewer, both exuding a playful, seductive energy. One figure, shaded in a stony grey, seamlessly blends into her rocky surroundings, while the other, clutching a horn, marks herself as a creature of legend. The tender act of thumb-sucking, accompanied by a finger tracing the nose, introduces an unexpected note of innocence and vulnerability, offering a striking contrast to the more mysterious and enticing undertones of the piece.
“Two-Faced, 2024″ draws inspiration from the myth of Medusa, with a particular focus on Natalie Haynes’s reimagining of the character in her novel Stone Blind (2022). Haynes explores Medusa’s complex duality as both a victim and a “monster.” While Medusa is often portrayed as a fearsome creature with snakes for hair, Dymock’s representation shifts this imagery. Her snakes are more ambiguous and even playful, subverting the traditional link between serpents and malevolence. This tension is further heightened by the depiction of two snakes in a tender, kissing pose, prompting viewers to reconsider the boundary between monstrosity and empathy.
This disconnection raises intriguing questions about whether Dymock is creating figurative works or abstract still-life. Her abstraction reduces human forms to their most elemental features, transforming them into symbolic objects that invite reflection on disintegration, dissolution, and the fragmentation of the self.
Works like Bathers and Octopus Hattake this fascination with hybrid and fragmented bodies to an extreme, using oversized limbs and textured contrasts to blur the line between allure and danger, exploring the complex interplay of touch, attraction, and threat.
Dymock’s exploration of “monstrosity” offers a powerful subversion of societal norms, drawing upon a wide range of sources to reinterpret classical mythological figures. Works like Two-Faced and Sucking Thumbs reimagine figures such as Medusa and the sirens, imbuing them with ambiguity, empathy, and playful tension. These reinterpretations challenge traditional depictions of the female body in myth and art, critiquing how these archetypes have been shaped by visual culture. By presenting figures that embody traits deemed excessive or grotesque, Dymock invites viewers to reconsider their perceptions of beauty, power, and femininity, breaking down rigid standards of behavior and appearance.
Throughout her work, Georgia Dymock creates a space for introspection and dialogue, encouraging us to look beyond surface appearances and engage with the deeper complexities of identity. Her practice, which seamlessly blends traditional painting techniques with digital processes, reflects her ongoing exploration of transformation and the fluidity of forms. Beginning with digital compositions, Dymock manipulates her imagery using programming software before translating these elements onto the canvas. Through an ongoing exchange between digital and analog media, her work evolves, resulting in richly layered oil paintings that synthesize technology and tradition in a dynamic and innovative way.
Her accomplishments include winning the 2023 Cass Art Prize, being selected as a finalist for the 2024 Ingram Prize, and being named one of the New Contemporaries. Dymock’s work is featured in private collections worldwide and is part of the institutional collection of the Museum Inima de Paula in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Artist: Georgia Dymock
