Lawrence Carroll, Untitled, 2014-17. Oil, wax, house paint, plastic flowers and canvas fabric on wood, 64.5 x 47.5 x 7 cm. Courtesy: the artist and Fox Jensen Gallery, Sydney.

The paintings Lawrence Carroll made speak of concealment and veiling. The process of assembling the surface by laying fragments of cloth down, painting, stapling and collaging as he went – continually masking and camouflaging much that lay beneath seems central to Lawrence’s practice. It feels less about disguise than rehabilitation – thin washes of acrylic paint, a balm, abraded fabrics – dressings that stem implied structural fatigue and fragility.

It is a recognition of the sensitivity and essential contradiction that painting offers, one where powerful and delicate gestures alike are evidence of the strength and frailty our existence.

Lucy Carroll Jones will be in attendance, in Carroll’s stead.

Exhibition opens: 6–8pm Friday 7 of February 2020