Norman O’Flynn: Lovesick

Norman O’Flynn’s entertaining observations about the absurdity of the world we live in will be the focus of his 2020 solo exhibition that will be held at WORLDART in Cape Town from 5 – 30 November.

His contemporary take on still life and interior paintings and his use of portraiture to explore popular culture has attracted international attention and this solo exhibition is an event many are looking forward to.

O’Flynn’s current output is presented mainly as glossy paintings on plexiglass with a strong focus on popular culture and its effect on our existence. It reminds us of the levels of human consumption most of us fall prey to.

“These still life and interior paintings take pop art sizzle to a cosmic level,” says independent art curator Kirsty Cockerill. “The reverse painting on plexiglass offers the viewer a flat, glossy surface behind which the internal world illustrated is lush to the point of a sugar rush and the psychological distance between the private and the public is flattened to the thin reality of a social media feed.”

On his mask-wearing portraits, O’Flynn comments, “It’s a filter. It protects us from what we take in and what we release; germs, words – all of it. We’re toxic and we spread it. But we need protection from this too. We are so busy sharing our opinions, especially on social media platforms, but do we actually make a contribution? Or is the truth that we are saying nothing because we’re too busy saying the things that we think will gain us credibility and help us look cool?”