Paul Spencer’s bold allegorical works are spectacularly accomplished and thrilling to look at, they brim with rich, involving and affecting humanity. Notions of human suffering, shame and mere existence are addressed, the people/characters within the works may appear abject and pathetic, but the works remain empathetic and hopeful to a wider collective experience. Grotesque mythological creatures sit alongside human figures in otherworldly scenes that seem to repeat an inevitable ending, one that the protagonist appears doomed and resigned to. Spencer reincarnates these characters across canvases (for it is hard to find a home for anachronism) only to subject them to another miserable fate. The fate might be miserable and inevitable, but hope remains.
These paintings are metaphysical thrillers, meditations on mortality and chronicles of our self-devouring times,……….enjoy them.
Spencer has exhibited in numerous venues across Melbourne and Sydney and at regional
galleries including Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Geelong Gallery. His work is held in the Artbank
collection and in public and private collections throughout Australia.