DOMINIC CHAMBERS

Chambers’ work draws on literature, mythology, magical realism, and African American history to construct contemplative and poetic scenes that challenge reductive narratives surrounding Black life. His compositions frequently depict figures in moments of leisure, introspection, and communion with nature, proposing imaginative spaces where joy, stillness, and interiority take precedence over spectacle or conflict. Literary and philosophical texts serve as a vital source of inspiration for the artist, who has long drawn from writers and thinkers such as the Roman philosopher Seneca, who described leisure as an investment in one’s inner life, and the American poet Mary Oliver, whose work celebrates attentive observation of the natural world. Literary traditions such as magical realism lie at the heart of his exploration of race, personal and imagined narratives, and the complexities of interior life, informing his interest in poetry as a bridge between the natural and the surreal.

In a new body of work entitled The Body Shimmer, Chambers continues his exploration of Black life, surrealism, and the poetics of leisure while deepening his belief in painting as a medium capable of materialising poetry. The series was inspired by the scientific discovery that the human body emits an extremely faint bioluminescent light—an imperceptible glow produced through metabolic processes. This revelation led him to reflect on another cosmic fact: most of the elements in the human body were forged in stars and supernovae billions of years ago. Framing humans as ‘earthbound stars,’ he ponders upon how communities might be understood as constellations.

Alongside the artist’s rich literary inspirations, colour emerges as a central protagonist in Chambers’ paintings. In selecting his palette especially for this body of work, the artist considered the material qualities of colour—its mineral associations and varying degrees of opacity. Graphite Gray, Iridescent Pewter and Silver, Cobalt Yellow, and a range of luminous yellows were among the hues Chambers found particularly compelling. Carefully orchestrated relationships between these contrasting and shimmering tones generate subtle energy and psychological resonance across the canvas. These chromatic tensions animate otherwise tranquil scenes, imbuing the works with a quietly electric presence. Through luminous surfaces, the bodies that encapsulate this subtle ‘shimmer’ unfold as a poetic meditation on the body, the cosmos, and collective existence.

Perspective also plays an important role in the artist’s dreamscapes. This becomes especially apparent in Sightings: Forest Rorschach (2026), where what first appears to be a view from the forest floor looking up at a star-filled night sky gradually begins to shift. On closer inspection, the stars swirl at an impossible speed, drawing nearby kites into their motion while the surrounding trees remain uncannily still. The work ultimately destabilises orientation, suggesting that what seems to be the sky above may instead be a disturbed reflection—collapsing the distinction between looking up, down, or forward.

Chambers situates figures within expansive, star-filled landscapes that feel at once natural and dreamlike. In The Body Shimmer (Bright Thoughts #3) (2026), young adolescents, absorbed in the simple pleasure of the moment, fly kites and play with paper airplanes that drift through the aurora borealis. In the background, a subtle reference to Kerry James Marshall’s monumental piece Our Town (1995), evoking an idyllic scene of two children at play in a neighborhood housing project, appears as a ‘painted thought’ of the artist. Through such moments, Chambers suggests that leisure and recreation can function as vital sites of personal renewal, where inner lives take shape. Moving beyond strictly figurative representation, these works reflect on the relationship between artistic practice and the psyche, engaging spiritual, intellectual, and embodied dimensions of devotion.

In The Body Shimmer, Chambers proposes that contemplation, imagination, and leisure are not passive states but generative forces. Through dreamlike landscapes and quietly charged moments of reflection, his paintings invite viewers to consider how joy, wonder, and interior life can expand our understanding of both the everyday and the extraordinary.