Take a moment, PLEASE.
what a pleasant surprise it is having you here with me now. please stay as long as you see fit, i want you to stay.
pee-bee sees you crying. Do not try and hide away your pain. wear it BARE upon your OPEN chest.
Beep-beep.
beep…
INSTITUTIONAL DISARRAY! NEVERENDING SIGHTINGS! THE TRUSTING MAJORITY RULES! ALL HAIL THE UPPERS! KILL THE DOWNERS! EAT! UNENDING BRUTALITY! EXCEPTIONAL COMMITAL-AVOIDANCE! WE NEVER HAD A CHANCE IN THIS LIFE! ESPECIALLY YOU! YOU ALONE; SUFFER! YOU ARE GOD, AND YOU DID THIS TO YOURSELF! YOU TOOK YOUR POWER. YOU ATE YOUR SWORD! I THINK THIS IS ALL TRUE! I THINK YOU’RE ALL DEAD! I DON’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED, BUT I FEEL IT ALL AROUND ME! ALL OF US DIED TODAY! ALL OF US THRIVED YESTERDAY! NONE OF US WILL BE REMEMBERED TOMORROW.
Vacillating between the inner and outer life, between meaning and questioning, using words and imagery, surface and depiction- Noah MacLeod's paintings are jam-packed. Or jamming in 'packed-ness' as if riffing on the nature of stuff. Created in a semblance of humanity, though bulbous, deformed and unusually specific, the subjects of these portraits seem to all be members of a symbiotic clan. Their expressions are not threatening, while in their individuality, they appear vulnerable, open and familiar. They defy understanding - not an easy read - and the imagery is not without attendant rudeness. It is just complicated. MacLeod has given written clues to thoughts, but he hasn't made deconstruction easy. The tininess of much of the leering speaks of care, and, hard to read, maintains an almost protective stance towards the sharing of the message. These formulations of humankind engender respect, not only due to MacLeod's craftsmanship and the dedication to detail but due also to their nonconformity, a personal expression of a unique, admirable mind
written by Julie Oakes, on the work of pee-bee 2022
