Lorena Levi

My practice is predominantly in portraiture, but now with a developed interest in narrative painting. This year, with the continuous lockdowns and isolation, internet chatrooms made a revival. I explored Omegle, a site that boasts itself as being censor free and 'lawless' allowing for anyone to meet anyone. However their philosophy has a sinister reality whereby children are exposed to disturbing images and videos elements as there are no restrictions for what people can say or do. I went on the site with the hope of speaking to strangers, interested to see how much they are willing to tell me, especially in this time of isolation and loneliness. The work is based off individual past stories, current situations and relationships. I used photography, my own imagination and memory to create these paintings.