Thomias Radin Am I my Brother’s Keeper?, 2021

Am I my Brother’s Keeper?, 2021, is an oil painting on linen in an artist frame.

The work consists of two men, one of whom is standing and reaching upwards and the other of whom is bent over, as if bowing or dancing. Their faces are obscured, replaced with unusual forms in pleasing pastel colors. However, judging by the earing and the men’s haircuts, once can imagine that they might be stand-ins for the artist himself. Below the men’s feet, is a floor made of white marble with black striations, with this floor being situated within two oceans: one storming and dark, and the other calm and pastel. Throughout the painting there are unexpected fragments of color rendered in energetic expressionistic brushstrokes.

The work draws from the biblical story of the brothers Cain and Abel, and also suggested a more universal story of tension between brothers, or perhaps between one’s inner selves. With the movement of the figures directly relating to Radin’s own dance practice, the work as a whole speaks to the artist’s interest in embodied knowledge and is also a reflection on the hidden violence in our relationships with others and ourselves.