Movement is part of humanity, and the restriction of movement and migration that has become the center agenda by so many politicians across the world seems to be a battle against nature and an innate human essence. We are hunter-gatheres, we are movers, we find a place that is better to survive. In Justin Williams' new show at COMA Gallery, Sydney, Waiting for Lavender is a subtle and powerful depiction of migration and movement. As the gallery notes, "Drawing on familial history, his upbringing in the foothills of Victoria’s Dandenong Ranges, and recent time spent in Paris and Santa Fe, Williams welcomes viewers into a world where identity, family, and the quest for stability intertwine."
The figures in each painting are in a state of movement, either traveling or working, conversing with each other, in collaboration or partnership. But what the work shows, and what Justin has always shown, is deep humanity and empathy for his characters, something that always is deeply effective and moving.
