Gary Faigin

Imagination was central to the painterly vision of Gary Faigin (1950-2025). His paintings combine elements depicted from observation with features that are simply invented, and the tension between these two ways of seeing creates a highly-charged visual drama. The illusory nature of reality is a recurring theme – things are not what they seem. Still lives are not still, space is laden with ambiguity, and an overall mood of anticipation or disruption often prevails. Underlying the narrative works are studies from life, never directly referred to but supplying the foundation of his visual vocabulary. In Faigin’s Concentrated series, lined-up, objects seem to extend further outwards as they go back in space, like a time-lapse photograph of a blossoming flower, or a growing tree. Everything is compressed visually, creating a sort of kinetic energy that also animates the imaginary city beyond.

Click here to view Smoke and Mirrors exhibition
Click here to view Gary Faigin’s Artist Talk - Why Trains?
Click here to view Elegy for a Mechanical Age, an animated musical slideshow

Available Works