Connection/Direction

"Connection/Direction" was created for the 2004 Barbadiana Exhibition. In this piece, Downey divides the canvas in three unequal parts. Reading from left to right, the first third is a muddled earth tone washed with white. Standing on the edge of an elliptical wash in the lower section are four flat figures, three red and the other green. Hovering above them are three tally marks, while further afield are other iconographic symbols including thick black arrows pointing to the right, rows of a map-like grid and faded overlapping x's. The second third is covered in overlapping upright hands painted in red and green. The third section is a repetition of the symbols found in the first third but these are rendered in a different degree of size and intensity. The two external thirds are then laced together with a fine thread. According to Downey, the title "hints at the need to connect with the inner self before one can find a sense of direction through life". This piece also reflects broader themes in Downey's work, such as navigating and countering societal pressures to conform.