Alfie Caine’s painting, Pear and Lilies, 2022, is a serene architectural dreamscape guiding us to peer into the East Sussex landscape through an opened door in an intimate domestic scene.
Caine creates a meticulously detailed domestic scene which draws attention to the minutiae of cutlery, containers, chopped pears and freshly picked wildflowers. A pulled-out chair and mirror reflection of a door swung open in the background hint towards a missing inhabitant, whilst also offering us places to sit, stand and rest in their place. Another door left temptingly ajar reveals the surrounding expanses of a fantasized countryside inspired by the marshes, cliffs, valleys and rivers of the East Sussex coastline.
The paintings are informed by Caine’s daily experiences: cycling to and from his studio, he travels along the vast expanse of river in Rye, which he catches glimpses through windows and doors into people’s homes. Following his relocation from London, Caine particularly noticed the different levels present in the landscape: 'It reveals so much, flat land meets hillside and from their peaks you see panoramic views of the changing skies, the horizon and waterways and from the flat plains below you can look up at the hills and their layers of houses'.i
The incorporation of these topographical features, details from existing houses in Rye, as well as the design objects Caine keeps in his house and his studio, all merged with the dreamed-up elements, create the feeling of familiarity tinged with escapism in the works. The real and the imagined seamlessly collide within the artist’s idealised worlds.
Alfie Caine (b. 1996) is a British artist who lives and works in Rye, East Sussex. Caine creates intricately constructed architectural dreamscapes that merge domestic scenes with striking natural landscapes. The former Cambridge architecture student has been featured in gallery exhibitions internationally, including his inaugural solo exhibition What Lies Beyond, Union Gallery, London, UK (2021); High Humanity, Jack Siebert Projects, Paris, France (2022); and Moments of Calm, JARILAGER Gallery, Seoul, South Korea (2022).
i Alfie Caine, ‘Alfie Caine: What Lies Beyond, UNION Gallery‘, ArtRabbit, online.
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Image: Damian Griffiths
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