STATEMENT
The Ghosts
We all fall for others. Others fall for us. Since early adolescence, we have been addicted to and overwhelmed by the power of attraction. We have no choice but to chase it regardless of consequence. In turn we enter into relationships that are very different, each one shifting us and our life’s path. We end up validated, happy, hurt, satisfied, desensitized, loved and hated. There are powerful repetitions and intense patterns we engage in, deny, acknowledge, or just don’t see at all. Old mistakes and mirrors of people continue to reappear, and we make new mistakes further adding layers to our journey. Relationships bloom and shine. Then they inevitably die and become ghosts.
We identify someone worthy - engage, reveal, fake, hide, and bare our souls. Within these intimate relationships both parties are hoping for success. We soar, trying to move forward to a better self and if we can incorporate companionship along the way, we do. Some are just flashes and die out quickly. But, ultimately we try to find someone to spend our life with and embrace the uncertainty, choosing a mandate to have a meaningful relationship, and committing to it.
We yearn for a connection rooted in happiness, always looking for it but so scared it might happen, worried of the scars it could potentially bring. But attraction forces us in, some of us so afraid we bail, and some just putting the fear behind and jumping in. We are all going through this same thing, knowing the bottom can drop out from beneath us unexpectedly, but choosing to believe that what we’ve invested in and stand on is there for our collective support.
I’ve had swelling moments where a woman just took my breath away. I’ve fallen into uncontrollable infatuation at times, been intoxicated in love, lived chaos, and been brutally hurt. I’ve reflected on this and produced the work for this exhibition based on my experiences with some of the women on my journey. It’s a tribute to them and what they all have given me. Represented are relationships that lasted just a few days or weeks, some that lasted years, and one that is ongoing. Girlfriends, crushes, marriage, divorce, children. All represented. I feel I’ve been quite lucky to live it all.
This show is an illustration of my experience with these connections and companionships. I hope that the audience through this exhibition will be able to reflect and evaluate their own past relationships and how they brought them to where they stand now.
These are my ghosts.
Colin Doherty
October, 2016