In The Absence of Pleasure
Dec - Jan, Village Gallery, Leeds. Uk 23/24

In Richard Maguire’s intricate drawings, colonial spectres are revived, offering glimpses of the often obscured intimate relationships between master and servant. In academic texts between the Australasian and South Asian subcontinent, the lack of historical prosecution is taken to suggest there were no such intimacies or abuses between Black and South Asian servants/slaves and their masters in a racial calculi that obliterates chances of reexamining histories of intimate encounters and intimate violence.


For the works in this exhibition, Maguire draws from the colonial archives and mass produced postcards by Higginbotham & Co, Madras which depict South Asian men, flora and fauna and the shadows of images (?). This exoticised, lush imagery is dissected and reanimated in Maguire’s drawings examining the complexity of those who found or created beauty within the absence of pleasure.


All works graphite on paper, Titles and measurements amongst other details can be provided upon request.

©Richard Maguire, images provided courtesy of Maximillian William, London. Photographs by Deniz Guzel. Text by Uma Karavadra