Man in the Suit
This long series chronicled a dark age experienced by a close relative. During several decades, he was filled with an inexplicable and terrifying rage, suicidal and self harming tendencies and deep depression and self loathing. The paintings were an attempt to form a connection with a person who was unable or unwilling to reach out or let anyone in.
I envisaged the ‘Man in the Suit’ character as an ‘everyman’ avatar exploring contemporary social ills and the timeless, perpetual experience of human suffering. Hidden beneath that was the personal voyage of the protagonist, as he spiraled deeper into the labyrinth of despair. I feared that his life would finish with a self inflicted death, but hoped for a transcendent healing. Happily, the man has emerged from his dark period, but as his mental and emotional suffering receded, he no longer wished to have the journey documented. I am sorry I cannot finish the series with paintings of him in strength and happiness, but I am glad he has arrived in a good place.
(Hauser 2015)
I envisaged the ‘Man in the Suit’ character as an ‘everyman’ avatar exploring contemporary social ills and the timeless, perpetual experience of human suffering. Hidden beneath that was the personal voyage of the protagonist, as he spiraled deeper into the labyrinth of despair. I feared that his life would finish with a self inflicted death, but hoped for a transcendent healing. Happily, the man has emerged from his dark period, but as his mental and emotional suffering receded, he no longer wished to have the journey documented. I am sorry I cannot finish the series with paintings of him in strength and happiness, but I am glad he has arrived in a good place.
(Hauser 2015)