Ernesto Renda

Kisses

2020

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The on-screen kiss is such a strange and beautiful moment in film. As the kissers close in, we see over the shoulder of one of them and as their lips meet, the shot is reversed and we see over the shoulder of the other. At the moment of contact, we traverse their intersubjective divide. This series of paintings focuses on scenes from actor and art collector Russell Tovey's filmography. Specifically, scenes where he kisses another man. Tovey is one of the few successful "out" gay actors, and has been cast in a number of gay roles. Considering how often straight actors are cast in gay roles, Tovey is quite special.