Lawrence James Bailey (1976, UK) has always drawn and embroidered no-man’s landscapes: edgelands. But he has chosen a new direction for this exhibition. The people whose presence he previously only suggested by what they left behind have now become the explicit subjects of his work. Lawrence machine-embroiders his textile art works, using it like a tattoo artist’s needle, constantly moving back and forth to thicken lines and fill in areas of colour. In preparation, Lawrence retreated into the isolation of Amsterdam’s hinterland – where he can become a different person to his urban self – a number of times. He then translated this personal change into portraits of his friends and acquaintances. They are not depicted realistically but as the personification of religious or mythical figures and often behind some form of mask. In this way, the subjects of his work are transformed or transform themselves. Lawrence says this transformation is the crux of being alone in nature. Are you still the same person in this different, ‘more natural’ environment?