EDWINA MCLENNAN
THE ENIGMA OF A DAY
March 21 - April 23, 2025
The Enigma of a Day presents a series of surrealist mixed-media scapes that explore the complexities of everyday experiences across physical, virtual, and emotional spaces. Drawing inspiration from Giorgio de Chirico’s metaphysical paintings, Edwina McLennan creates multi-layered narratives that mirror our fragmented, contemporary existence. McLennan delves into the spaces where reality, dreams, and desire intertwine, inviting a deep exploration of identity and perception.
Employing the non-linear, dreamlike language of the Surrealists, her work combines textile, collage, painting and printing techniques to interweave elements of fashion, architecture, digital culture, and emotional undercurrents. Through this process, she addresses the tension between knowledge producers and passive consumers, where desire functions both as a force of agency and a tool for manipulation. McLennan’s practice explores the role of desire in shaping identity, and how modern consumer culture subtly influences our emotional landscapes and perceptions of self.
As we are constantly in a state of flux - becoming, evolving, and negotiating the spaces we occupy - emotions act as scaffolds for these shifting experiences. McLennan’s exploration reveals how the interplay between physical, mental, and digital realms influences our sense of self and our place within the world. The Enigma of a Day offers an exploration of contemporary life, reflecting upon how we navigate these fluid spaces with awareness and agency in an age dominated by consumption. Her work confronts the magnetic forces of desire and identity that shape our collective and personal journeys.
