'Life Lines' Exhibition Book

80 pages

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In “Life Lines,” LUAP invites viewers to explore the complexity of human experience through a series of fragmented portraits. This work is not about sadness but about transformation, depicting the subtle shifts in our state of mind. Each image captures people from diverse backgrounds holding personal artefacts that carry deep emotional significance, sparking an intimate conversation about mental health and identity.

This new body of work, features 16 large scale portrait paintings alongside a series of photographic portraits.  The sitters, presented in a way that reveals both their vulnerability and resilience, engage in an inner dialogue that becomes visible. It’s not just their likeness that’s portrayed but a deeper truth—an exploration of self-perception, the masks we wear, and the parts of ourselves we often keep hidden.

“We don’t see the boundaries of the mirror when looking at these portraits. Instead, we see fragmented reflections that challenge the way we typically perceive ourselves. It’s as if each broken shard reveals a different, isolated piece of our identity, distorted yet undeniably familiar. In this sense, the portraits echo a daily reality—one where our own reflections are often places of scrutiny. We’re inclined to dissect ourselves in fragments, honing in on perceived flaws, rather than appreciating a unified whole. The cracks in the mirror reveal these parts individually, mirroring our tendency to criticise rather than embrace our full, complex selves.” LUAP

LUAP’s Pink Bear recurs as a silent guardian in these images, providing warmth and comfort. Usually the focal point in LUAP’s other works, here the bear steps into a different role, symbolising a refuge from darkness and a guide through the chaos of thought. The bear appears in an abstracted form in all of the portraits, its warm pink hue offering a comforting halo in the background of each painting. It becomes a guardian and safe keeper of the "secrets" being told.