Oleksandra Marston : Still

Made over the past two years, the work in this exhibition addresses suffering and survival. Martson draws on her own experiences, particularly the outbreak of war in Ukraine and her later migration to London with her son. Her large oil paintings and sharp charcoal drawings are charged portraits of emotion: fear, loneliness, resilience and the search for peace. 

The recurring motif of the bed lays at the core of this body of work. Whether or not it cradles a sleeping figure, the bed is a poignant symbol of human vulnerability. In one painting a pair of bent legs jut out awkwardly, one sock on and one off, from beneath striped bed-linen. In another, Martson conveys just the outline of a figure’s head nestled on a white pillow, the rest of the body curled beneath the crisp yet heavy folds of fabric. In another, a young boy, arms outstretched and head tilted back, would appear corpse-like if not for the green striped sheets that cover the rest of his body in sleep. 

With distinct psychological realism and exquisite draughtsmanship, Martson highlights the personal nature of her work, while subtly referencing the socio-political context in which it is rooted. Her enigmatic figures, both hidden and revealed, depict disquieting personal tensions that lie below the surface of war and conflict. Whether tender or tragic, Martson considers the complexities of human experience in war and the experience of women and children in particular.