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A desk is mounted on the wall, metres above the chair that accompanies it. On top of the desk are familiar adornments—a lamp, a laptop, a mug with coffee, a notebook and pen—all of which are the personal belongings of the artist.

LAWRENCE: “The desk, elevated and on display, becomes a stage or a pedestal presenting the efforts of the creator. It towers over the seat of the user, who is left facing a bare wall. It speaks of a failure to comprehend the importance of the task at hand, or otherwise a failure to rise to the occasion.

The work is meant as a self-portrait, but can possibly be read as a portrait of a society unable to reconcile itself with the challenges it faces; of a dislocation of the sense of self into incompatible parts (that that is and that which must be done); and of an absence or abandonment – like a sentinel who has deserted their post.”
SELF-PORTRAIT UNDER THE LAMP

︎ Detailed description
︎ Artist’s notes
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︎ ARTIST’S NOTES:
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“The desk, elevated and on display, becomes a stage or a pedestal presenting the efforts of the creator. It towers over the seat of the user, who is left facing a bare wall. It speaks of a failure to comprehend the importance of the task at hand, or otherwise a failure to rise to the occasion.

The work is meant as a self-portrait, but can possibly be read as a portrait of a society unable to reconcile itself with the challenges it faces; of a dislocation of the sense of self into incompatible parts (that that is and that which must be done); and of an absence or abandonment – like a sentinel who has deserted their post.”
︎ DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
︎


A desk is mounted on the wall, metres above the chair that accompanies it. On top of the desk are familiar adornments—a lamp, a laptop, a mug with coffee, a notebook and pen—all of which are the personal belongings of the artist.

The desk, made of an unknown timber and plywood, belonged to Lawrence’s grandfather, though wasn’t particularly special to him. The desk has belonged to Lawrence since childhood, used in his various bedrooms in his childhood home and shared houses until 2016. The notebook, Lawrence’s own from 2019, is open on a page that states the artwork’s name.