In Absentia

Gillian Willans presents a series of paintings that carry themes of the domestic realm. The paintings are based on found photographs, in which the camera lens also plays a role in the overall feeling of the image. Willans speaks of the domestic realm; she explains that she hopes is to capture her interest in social role-playing and her struggles to define her belonging within the home. The rooms are unidealized, not touched up to look pretty but as they were in that time and space. The rooms are empty without the people who may have occupied them; in this purposeful choice, Willans hopes to draw attention to the missing figures and the gaze of the photographer.