Noting resurgent interest in representational painting among a younger generation of artists, Claxton uses the exhibition as a means to ask a number of questions related to this practice, particularly reflecting on the role of interpretation as a means of disrupting representation, ‘rendering it formless’.

Thematically, the exhibition explores the notion of danger and its role as a subtext in the works, often as a contrasting element in the portrayal of otherwise idyllic landscapes. Works in the exhibition shirk a literal read, however, and Claxton intentionally confuses her use of both danger and paradise, and paradise, suggesting them as open concepts, acting just as easily as actions, emotions, or places. While differing in content and manner, the works in the exhibition all combine opposing subjects as a natural way to form narrative and allegory.

Danger in Paradise is the first of a series of three guest-curated exhibitions at the Or Gallery that make reference to a troubled West Coast landscape.

— From the Or Gallery’s website