With Absence and Other Things was an exhibit of intimate self-portraits on paper portraying psychological unease since immigration to Canada; a journey that involved great upheaval in Kim Foster Yardley’s life. As a result of this transition her work has undergone a stylistic and conceptual evolution from figuration to expression focusing on visualising psychological states of melancholy and vulnerability. Simultaneously opaque and transparent, layers of paint are thinly applied atop paper to communicate frailty and a state of feeling “thin-skinned” due to experiences of racial trauma, isolation, and uncertainty.

Both a confrontation and invitation, the portraits look directly out at the viewer giving the audience a choice to look more deeply or turn away from that which may bring discomfort. With eyes sometimes absent and gazing beyond the viewer, the mouths of the portraits are smeared to indicate forced smiles and grins, under which lay battles with sadness and anxiety.

Consisting of multiple unframed works on paper, the repetition and iterative nature of the multiple self-portraits is meant to replicate relentless day-to-day experiences of struggling, grieving, and yet also resilience.