CONDUCTORS

The title of Tommy Carman’s ‘Conductors’ gives reference to the word’s polyvalent meanings. Amongst other things, a conductor is a substance that allows for the transfer of an energy, enacting forces of attraction or repellence; yet it is also the orchestrator of an ensemble, allowing sounds to coalesce according to a dictated style and tempo. With a painting often catalysing within subsequent works either a departure or, in contrast, the honing in on a particular element, numerous connotations emerge with his process–a chemical chain reaction, the interaction between orchestra and conductor over the course of a symphony, the conflicting desires of a yearning for intimacy and the competitive instinct to outperform another.

The works together form a compound that allows for tensions to productively cohabit. This new suite of paintings thus reflects an interest in the complex relationship between intimacy and competition. Fluctuating between pictorial and abstract languages, the works reflect Carman’s urge to upend or outdo what was made prior, manufacturing and subsequently tearing at connections. In so doing, he mirrors the dynamic of a competitive relation to both others and oneself. The works, ultimately, point to a protracted tension occasioned by the drive to establish oneself in opposition to some one or thing.

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Tommy Carman graduated with a Master of Fine Art from the National Art School, Sydney, in 2022. He was a recent finalist of the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship prize, awarded to painters under 30, and was the recipient of the Bird Holcomb Foundation scholarship in 2019. Recent exhibitions include solo shows at LAILA and Mega, and a two-person show with Corey Black at Sydenham International.