what i enjoy most about justin mortimer)’s work is the way he treats his figures… placing them in compromised roles within a dark urban context. often they assume uncomfortable positions in their equally uncomfortable landscapes. in some cases they apparently suffer in their situation even choke. this asphyxiating quality makes the work so intriguing and one views the victims with a curiosity which is deepened by the presence of festive remnants like balloons. the introduction of this narrative compels one to appreciate the work from so many different angles. it is at once a commentary on social decay and a certain mis-location but on the other hand also a metaphor for a search… a spiritual journey undertaken within ourselves. the modern hard and competing landscapes allude to the ordeal of it and highlights a metaphor for modern man’s lost and lonely existence. brilliantly facetted, mortimer’s work is an enthralling reflection of such familiar feelings of distress and even desperation that one can easily empathize with the frustration of his forlorn figures… a powerful connection indeed.