In this series of paintings, Beyond the Silent Struggles, Tom Phillips explores the profound human experience of fear, loneliness, and urban alienation. His paintings delve into the vulnerability and anxiety that come with the fragility of existence in the modern world, highlighting the sense of isolation that permeates contemporary life.
Phillips describes his figures as ‘outsiders, aliens, or forgotten individuals within society’; emphasising their struggle to navigate an indifferent urban landscape. These paintings are an expression of raw emotion—capturing his own feelings of estrangement. And yet, they resonate universally, speaking to the collective experience of isolation and the challenge of finding connection in a rapidly changing, often impersonal and disconnected world.
Following on from his Running on Empty exhibition at the Art Gallery of SA, this series continues Phillips’ ongoing exploration of the tensions between humanity and the urban experience, capturing the silent battles that unfold in the space between individuals and their surroundings.