ROMAN LONGGINOU

ILLUSIONS OF GRANDEUR

2020, Jerico Contemporary, Sydney.

ROMAN LONGGINOU - ILLUSIONS OF GRANDEUR

5 November - 28 November 2020

Masculinity is a layered subject, riddled with tensions between strength and fragility. Longginou’s ‘Illusions Of Grandeur’ navigates this polarity by exploring the underlying pressures of virility through idealised notions of prestige and power. Using recurring motifs of polished armour and pristine car parts contrasted against images of crumpled aluminium and car wrecks, the artist addresses status as an abstract concept and brings to light its ephemeral nature. 

Our response to encountering polished and pristine objects is almost instinctive. Their value is instantly recognisable, whether admiring them from afar or examining them intimately. They express a sense of opulence, devices that enable one to climb the gleaning ranks of superiority. At times, our attraction to ‘the new and luxurious’ can become overwhelming. Comparable to the surfaces of medieval suits of armour or the body-work of performance cars, these shining images can conjure up ideas of boyhood wonder, heroism and manliness. Having long pervaded popular culture, it’s perhaps unsurprising that the underlying meanings of these objects have suffused into the western male psyche.

Bringing together ten hyper-realistic charcoal drawings on paper, Longginou enters a dialogue concerned with symbols of desire and the porous ways they’re sought out and achieved. Inspired by seminal texts such as John Berger, Ways of Seeing and Roger Scruton, Beauty: A Short Introduction, as well as idealised notions of masculinity that play out in both printed and digital media, each work leans into an overarching theme of vanitas painting, exploring the transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death. Drawing on archival pictures, museum catalogues, and antiques, Longginou’s compositions echo the past yet feel decidedly present. In a subconscious reflection on the current zeitgeist, the artist investigates our infatuation with wealth and power, and its correlation to gender stereotypes.

Roman Longginou, artist statement 2020