SEMEL INSANIVIMUS OMNES

Maryrose Crook has been a driving force behind Port Chalmers band The Renderers for over ten years, and only began painting relatively recently, inspired by old family slides that revealed haunting moments in her personal history. In Semel Insanivimus Omnes (We have all been mad once) Crook presents a series of evocative portrait paintings, exploring ideas of madness, survival and self identity. Drawing on a tradition of Surrealist and folk painting, Crook constructs disquieting and enchanting painted tales, which delve into the relationship a person has with their body and their mind, and which ultimately articulate their ability to survive in the world.

For this exhibition Crook and her husband Brian (also a member of The Renderers) have recorded a soundtrack which will complement the paintings and create an environment in which their images can be absorbed more readily.