David Rae is part of a growing interest in the possibility of unspoken narratives through the use of realism and subtraction. His paintings offer a remarkable sense of space through the realistic rendition of textures and perspective, and behind this curtain of reality the figureless, empty spaces suggest an uneasy absence. Selected for RSA New Contemporaries 2018, RSA Annual Exhibition 2023, shortlisted for the Scottish Landscape Awards 2023 and Gilchrist-Fisher Award 2024.
Artist statement
The locations forming the basis for my work are mainly those that featured in my childhood, places I've visited or those that are re-imagined. Capturing a sense of place is important; alluding to an atmosphere in which I explore the presence of absence. The objects that populate each space suggest human interaction. Within the paintings I like to include subtle narratives creating an element of curiosity, just enough to question the viewer's judgement of what the work could be about.
