Vanity by Rob Rek

Rob Rek's twelfth solo exhibition "Vanity" is a decadent collection of photorealistic synthetic polymer paintings - rich with painstaking detail, luxury, irony, and subversive subtext.

The collection was inspired by the centuries old Dutch Vanitas art movement. Vanitas paintings were intended to remind viewers of their own impending mortality. The artists of this movement dedicated themselves to communicating to the affluent that material possessions, wealth, and beauty - are as temporary as a butterfly.

Rek retains this powerful message with this exhibition - more relevant today then ever before.

Reversing the sombre tones commonly seen in the 16th century masterpieces, the artworks of Rek's Vanity are set against vibrant pure white.

The feature subject for each painting backlit and unapologetically featured.

Each piece is exquisitely detailed and impossibly lifelike. The art of breaking this realism by placing symbols into unlikely and often whimsical scenarios the only clue to their handmade origins.

The artist invites you to delve deeply into each painting. Hidden suggestions, and playful subtexts are permeated throughout Vanity, intended to intrigue, and beguile the viewer.

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Each month, we welcome a different artist to the Scrumptious Reads gallery space below the store to exhibit their art. Drop by the store to visit the artwork in person, or come back next month to see a different exhibition.