Dustin Emory’s work largely explores the human response to confinement through a black-and-white lens. Using unconventional angles and surrealist devices while also sticking to a strict palette, Emory explores how limitations can create a boundless arena. Emory’s fascination with limitation and confinement was accelerated in the midst of the pandemic when he found himself negotiating with his perception of his father’s incarceration. The issue has always been prevalent in his process but in conceiving the works of the past two years he has confronted it head-on.

Each painting pulls from tangible experiences but lies closer to a distant memory, pointing towards a cognizable narrative while aiming for a slow decipher.