Portrait

do you ever wonder if there was a home there wouldn’t be a search party

In you (version 1 and 2) there was temporary shelter

For a while it looked like you (version 1) had changed, remedied

(version 2) and I have barely had a day apart

Staring into the pool the bottom is barely visible

But then through the haze (of version 2) all becomes clear-ish

I think you evolved into something that oxygenates the water

If you (version 1) had been able to keep your head above the water I wonder what reflection you would

Whilst stuck in the reflection there’s no hiding place

back together again long shadows cast across the floor

A bit rounder but much happier than before

got tapped on the shoulder and thought it was for being too much

 by James Cabaniuk. Primarily working with large format painting, Cabaniuk’s practice uses personal and canonical histories to debunk myths of shame around trauma and queer identity.

Focusing on the issues within abstract expressionism and its machismo, they navigate the complex relationship of disdaining whilst fetishising the power they hold. They employ coding, abstraction, and queer opacity – layering to construct records. With materials like confetti, glitter and soil serving as tools of celebration, resilience, and connection. Shaped through rapid creation, the paintings are all about the drama, encompassing concepts of fun, camp, sexuality, gender, self destruction, healing, and community.

An installation by James Cabaniuk including two large abstract paintings facing one an another

There's a Hole in the Bucket

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James Cabaniuk