Michael Beare As far as you think

The images in this painting – a blindfolded man, a key, a shovel, a hut, a tongue, an upside-down bear and a boot – are quite banal. However, arranged in a new reality far from their original contexts, intriguing relationships develop. Could the dangling key unlock the thoughts of the blindfolded man? What grotesque monster inhabits the shed? Despite the absence of an explicit storyline, the recognisable fragments are an invitation to the viewer to invent their own scenario from clues and hints. What connects the images in the picture? Everyone’s webs of association will be different. This is a picture puzzle, with no specific solution.

- Michael Beare