Dylan Doe Studio is thrilled to present Still Spinning, an exhibition curated by Yiren Shen at 3 Albert
Hall Mansion from –14th October 2024, with an evening reception on 12th October.
This is the debut solo show of the musician-turned-painter, offering a compelling exploration of the intersection between humanity and technology, challenging our perceptions of the digital panopticon.
From large-scale paintings to intricate miniatures, Doe blends beauty with absurdity, and fear with
humour. The anonymous figures in his paintings inhabit liminal spaces that appear at once familiar and
parallel: seemingly plucked from dreams, they compel us to question what they are evolving into and
what remnants of humanity they still hold onto. The overwhelming abundance of information, once a
source of enlightenment, has become distorting: disparate objects, doubles, fragmented mutating limbs
pay heed to the confusion—adding to the uncanny atmosphere that pervades Doe’s work.
One of the central motifs is the hand—used by the artist as a symbol against the “handless,” hyperdigital future of humanity. In Relic (no.1), a pale hand emerges from a ghostly form with its fingers
stretched outward, caught between reaching for connection and retreating into isolation in a world
increasingly dominated by digital fragmentation. Similarly, a monumental hand adorned with bright,
bold red nails occupies Still Spinning (no. 2). Despite the Frankensteinian peculiarity, its fingers poised in
an exaggerated grip around a switch, as if it holds full control and power over something unknown. As
the writer Sam Moore poetically points out, Still Spinning (no. 2) “feels like the kind of thing that an AI
prompt might give to us, still unable to fully grasp the sinewy, fleshy, specific nature of the human hand.
But still, that hand – if such a word could still apply to it – holds onto something, devoted to it to the
last.”
In contrast to the prominence of hands in Doe’s work, there is a striking absence of ears—a visual
metaphor for the loss of tranquillity and the disappearance of the ‘gift of listening.’ As our world
becomes increasingly dominated by hyperactivity and constant stimulation, the deep, contemplative
attention required for true listening has become inaccessible. This absence serves as a poignant
reminder of what we lose as we surrender to the demands of the hyperactive ego and the relentless
pace of modern life.
Still Spinning is an invitation to confront the uncertainties of our digital present and future, and to
explore the delicate balance between the familiar and the otherworldly, pushing the boundaries of how
we understand our place in a hyper-connected yet increasingly isolated world. As we navigate these
bizarre and beautiful realms, we cling to fragments of our history and humanity, even as they slip into
an anachronistic, transformed, hyperrealistic world.
Dylan Doe, Still Spinning, 7th–14th October 2024, Albert Hall Mansion
Evening reception on 12th October Curated by Yiren Shen
About the Artist
Dylan Doe (b.1980) is a painter and musician based in London, United Kingdom. Doe graduated from
University of Manchester with a bachelor in History and was awarded a scholarship to study a Masters
at the Cambridge School of Art. Observing contemporary society through themes of chance encounters,
compulsions, hybrid forms, and devotional objects, Doe embraces ambiguity and creates non-narrative
paintings that collage disparate elements and emotions.
About the Venue
The exhibition takes place in an apartment undergoing construction. This transitional setting, with its echoes of the past and hints of future renovation, mirrors the themes of transformation and liminal space explored in the artist’s work. The Albert Hall Mansions, designed by Richard Norman Shaw in the late 19th century and located in Kensington Gore, London, are a series of grand residential apartment blocks that overlook the Royal Albert Hall. The current owner generously supported the artist by allowing him to use the reception room as a studio space in the spring of 2024.
