2025 Finalists

The Solar Anus is an oil painting on two monumental panels of linen canvas, stretched on wood frames, 290 cm tall and 140 cm wide. A figure group defines the visual field of each of the panels. The dark background in the centre of the painting is bounded by an increasingly vibrant red towards the edges.

On the left, an intestinal form descends to become a pair of partial male bodies merged in a struggle, who nevertheless fail to separate themselves fully, as the slick, undulating texture of internal organs reasserts itself over the distorted musculatures. The intestine proceeds from the top left corner of the painting in successive tones of grey, green, blue and pink, which appear pastel over the dominant dark tones of the rest of the painting.

As it approaches the centre of the panel, lumps of smooth muscle begin to form into the shape of an inverted upper torso, reaching its right arm to meet the second figure below, his neck terminating at the second figure’s thigh. We see the lower figure from the back, as he hangs by the legs, curling up his upper body towards the higher figure, his arm and upper torso returning to an increasingly intestinal form as it fades into the background.

On the right panel, a mass resembling the inside of an abdomen fills the lower right quadrant. Unlike the group on the left panel, this one is rendered in muted, dark tones. Three partial figures on top of each other suggest themselves in the folds of the intestinal wall. The lowest one lies in the fetal position, with a knee and the top of a bald head pointed towards us. We see the middle figure from the back, pushed to the right of the composition by the weight above. The group is capped off by a female figure of whom we see the knees and the side of the torso.

On the left vertical third, slightly above the figure group, there is a yellow glint, suggestive of a star. The star pierces through the darkest part of the background, which is nearly black.

(6/25)