Provided by the artist - Clare Strand The title Gone Astray is taken from Charles Dickens' 'Gone Astray', 1853, the story of a child lost in the City of London. Dickens' narrative contains many references to anxiety, vulnerability and to double lives. The conventions of early 20th century portraiture are employed using painted murals as backdrops to isolate the sitters. Each subject is individually dressed in costume and given props appropriate to the urban character Strand 'builds'. Though the poses have a kind of grandeur, each character shows signs of damage and vulnerability ยก from ripped tights and bandaged wrists to bloody noses and running mascara.
