TD READE
Wounds Without Cause (Work Lunch)
Synthetic polymer on board50 x 60cm
'Wounds Without Cause (Work Lunch)' borrows its title from Proverbs 23:29, “Who has wounds without cause?”—reflecting on the hidden damage of overindulgence. Set in a corporate environment, my painting explores the tension between professional obligation and enforced social conformity. The figures partake in a ritualistic lunch where drinking, intended to foster camaraderie, instead reveals a profound sense of detachment.Contrasting with Renoir’s Luncheon of the Boating Party, where joy and leisure reign, my work portrays the workplace as a site of performative bonding. Alcohol, a supposed unifier, serves only to conceal emotional discontent—unspoken wounds borne under the pressures of professional life. Ultimately, it critiques the superficial nature of professional relationships, exposing the quiet alienation that often accompanies them.