Treat Yourself
Oil on canvas
Sjeli Pearse
2024
In this oil painting, a view of spilled candy hearts carrying phrases calling for social justice and civil reform, are seen strewn across an opalescent surface. These candies, traditionally used to deliver flirtation and affection, become a vehicle for collective longing. By placing civic demands inside the language of romance, the painting suggests that basic rights and systemic change have come to feel retro, like the candies themselves; Sweet, idealized things of a fondly remembered past that never really existed.
Treat Yourself
Oil on canvas
Sjeli Pearse
2024
In this oil painting, a view of spilled candy hearts carrying phrases calling for social justice and civil reform, are seen strewn across an opalescent surface. These candies, traditionally used to deliver flirtation and affection, become a vehicle for collective longing. By placing civic demands inside the language of romance, the painting suggests that basic rights and systemic change have come to feel retro, like the candies themselves; Sweet, idealized things of a fondly remembered past that never really existed.
