Blending surrealist elements with photorealism, Tom Martin’s paintings create unsettling juxtapositions by altering the scale of consumer goods. Martin paints large-than-life objects such as fruits, candies, and dollar bills that become props for idealised nude women. The pairings represent a pastiche of still life painting and portraiture, while the inclusion of recognisable branded goods and the airbrushed artifice of his glossy aesthetic alludes to corporate advertising campaigns. Although his works may reference reality, the works are distorted so that they come to resemble a sort of hyperreality. “Essentially I’m trying to look for ways to create a situation whereby things are believably real, yet impossible,” Martin has said.
[Plus One Gallery, London - Acrylic on aluminium composite panel, 85 × 120 cm]
