Fitness Studies

Charcoal drawings and oil paintings, 2019-2021.

The series is based on found images of anaerobic exercise group classes, such as yoga, Pilates, and weightlifting, on the Internet. The pictorial caption attempts to investigate and reveal the group dynamics, human tensions, and power structures among the attendees, highlighting the subtle dramas that occur in these particular situations.

The style and compositions of these paintings and drawings consciously reference classical paintings, such as ‘Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp’ by Rembrandt, ‘The Doctor’ by François-Adolphe Grison, ‘The Dance Class’ by Edgar Degas, and others. 

I see in these images representations of a sense of religious redemption within an irreligious activity commonly found in Western society. Such classes are a bourgeoisie after-work leisure curriculum, where the teacher is perceived as an authoritarian shaman who reshapes old Eastern traditions and values into contemporary tools for the modern rat race, helping the follower maintain their mind and body intact, to achieve everlasting perfection.

Related links:
Solo show at Kantine, Brussels (Link here)
Interview with Perri MacKenzie following the presentation of this series as part of the group show Regenerate at Wiels, Brussels (Link here)