Observe As I Fly Away

About

Twelve new paintings will explore the complex relationship between autonomy and automatism - the balance between self-governing and unconscious behaviors.
Contrary to traditional hunting scenes, in Orr's paintings predators gaze empathetically while their prey take action and fight back. It is never clear who is in control — seemingly, everyone is in charge. Orr's characters playfully invent new ways to exist together instead of automatically accepting their dominant or submissive roles as the situation might dictate.

Reflecting on this, Orr writes, "We spend a lot of time running on autopilot, which is sometimes useful and can be very productive, but the danger is that we become detached from what is actually going on around us. And that is just boring."

Beyond the absurdity lies reality in Orr’s works. Much like La Fontaine's fables, Orr uses animals and invented creatures to create a distance which allows opportunities for reflecting on our own human behaviour. Orr strives for playfulness in both theme and technique. Through carefully crafted compositions and smooth crystalline surfaces, an otherwise hard introspection becomes magically enticing. Orr’s paintings serve as reminders to stay in the present and always remember to play.