statement

"Untitled" and "C.W.D." are paintings excerpted from the ongoing series Deer Camp, which tells a narrative of the tension between sexual proclivity and gender identification: hyper-male themes of hunting and porn indulgence are juxtaposed against emotional momentsóthe intimacy of bodies, a downward glance.

Painting is intensely physical for Govert. Confronting current emotions, wading into distant memories, he exploresóand wars withóthe fleeting nature of the present, and the staying power of the past. Itís this juxtaposition of clear-eyed reality and dreamy recall that renders Govertís work so nuanced, melancholy and deeply felt.

We see a rough yet gracious physicality in Govertís heavy layering and weatheringóeffects that mimic worn photographs, scarred skin. Itís the product of his deep, patient intimacy with the subject: first composed with a simple mixture (oil and pigment), then questioned, deconstructed, re-pieced, delicately studied again. The subject is then used, no longer privately, to tell the tiniest of stories about the human condition to the world.

bio

born: 1986, Denver, Colorado

selected group shows

Manifest Gallery: Face First, Cincinnati, OH, 2014
The A.E.C.: Faces and Figures, Covington, KY, 2013