Tardis Of Delight

Harrington’s interest here lies in engaging with the notions of excess and welfare, in particular, its experience by members of the upper class across epochs. While the man wears a typically seventeenth-century garment, Harrington’s vibrant colours and bold brushstrokes add a contemporary twist to the scene, creating a point of contact for the past and the present.

Although in this print, the human subject is not surrounded by objects, the abundant presence of which characterises When We Were Kings (2012) and The Unveiling (2014), the chaos of colours and irregular shapes mediates a sense of excess defining the contemporary culture of consumerism and commodification. The artist commented in the context of his creative practice: "The subject of my work has always been the present day but I choose to portray it through a historical lens. [...] I set up a photo shoot in my studio with two photographers, six models, period costume, furniture and taxidermy. It has given me greater control over what I want to say with more scope for storytelling."