From the tip of his graphite pencil, Russell revisits the halcyon as well as the bleak memories of his life, which he patiently shapes on the paper’s surface. Drawn from the far corners of his memory, these recollections seem accessible but distant, like a vague impression that could easily be brushed away by the back of a hand.

Emerging from the darkness or hiding in plain sight, the depicted scenes blur the line between the mundane and the disquieting. They glimpse at moments of loneliness, where imagination becomes vivid. As a result, questions arise about their very nature: In Basement (2022), is the pantomime-like figure experiencing a fever dream, or instead fooling around, trying to shake off the ennui? Heavily patterned wallpapers and carpets reflect the perhaps suffocating domesticity of suburban life. The character of At the Door (2022) might fear what lies behind the closed door but could also be interpreted as desirous of escaping their immediate environment. In Russell’s work, every tableau is subjected to numerous viewpoints.

Watching home movies from his childhood and adolescence, the artist reinterprets fleeting perceptions of what then seemed to be reality. In the summertime, family and neighbors gathered around the pool. Once stiff and rugged, bodies slowly loosened up as they drank beer and went for a swim. In Russell’s drawings, their expressions relax to the point of their facial and corporal features becoming juvenile, childish even. The artist makes formal associations between subjects and objects selected from different environments: a suburban backyard or his studio. Thus, an arm––long and flexible like spaghetti––can recall paint erupting from its tube or pool noodles floating on the surface of the shimmering water.

The bodies portrayed in Russell’s work are made of fluidity. The elasticity of the different characters expresses their conflicting desires to resist but also to conform, make kin with one another, and find their place in society. Despite their stubbornness, they are willing to reconsider and renegotiate their position in the world. In Shoulders (2022), the perched character upon the other evokes the challenges of creating bonds when ego and competition get in the way. In Parked (2022), the two boys’ bodies intertwine––their limbs almost shaping the form of a heart.

Through the meditative process of his work, Russell dilutes the fear, melancholy, and anxiety of past experiences. Perhaps Russell’s drawings stem from dreary memories; perhaps they instead announce the end of innocence.

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Text by Raphaëlle Cormier.

Russell Banx (b. 1986, Peterborough, ON) is a Montreal-based artist currently studying at Concordia University. His work explores typically overlooked modes of being by valorizing notions of deference and quiet intimacy both in subject and materiality. Focusing mainly on the male figure, his softly rendered images approach a therapeutic calmness through their form and resolute compositions.

Memory at Arm’s Length, presented at Pangée (Montreal), is his first solo exhibition in Quebec.