You are invited to a solo exhibition

by Ainsley Burrows

The Third Future: A Self-Portrait

This exhibition will be hosted by Lisane Basquiat and is brought to you by the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA) and Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC).

Also, join us for the after party. More info coming soon!

The Third Future: A Self-Portrait | Artist Statement

I am a multidisciplinary artist committed to unveiling untold stories and the often-unspoken dimensions of our emotional existence. In this exhibition, The Third Future: A Self-Portrait, I delve into these themes through a philosophical lens turned inward.

We often envision the future as a singular, linear progression. But what if there was a second future? And what would a third future entail? I explored these questions by envisioning a third future—a realm of the unknown unknowns. The first future is where you know what you know. For instance, I know my couch will still be blue tomorrow. The second future is where you know what you don’t know, like the uncertain future of this country. The third future is where you don’t know what you don’t know—an unfathomable space without examples.

It is from this enigmatic space that my paintings emerged, guided by intuitive movement. I approach each canvas without a plan, continuously engaging with it layer after layer in the space of unknowing, until my conscious mind intervenes. Through this series, as I sought to create portals into the third future, I realized that the resulting paintings were reflections of my inner existence, akin to how a figurative self-portrait mirrors the outer existence.

Ultimately, these works reveal the fabric of my life and identity, inviting viewers to experience their own self-portraiture in a new light. By interpreting my abstract works as self-portraits, viewers can embark on an introspective journey that is more open-ended. Through this exploration, I aim to create a new language for self-portraiture that is both deeply personal and universally resonant.

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