Modern Mythmaking : Emotional Realism in Pop Culture - Victor Campbell

Mezzanine Gallery

A series of black and white portraits exploring fictional personas through the lens of emotional realism and pop culture mythology

Modern Mythmaking: Emotional Realism in Pop Culture presents a striking collection of black and white portraiture by Victor, an artist known for their ability to distil complex emotion and narrative into a single frame. Working exclusively in monochrome, they reimagine fictional personas—from film, folklore, and pop culture—not as flat icons, but as psychologically rich characters suspended in moments of vulnerability, power, or introspection.

Each painting evokes the atmosphere of a film still, blending theatrical styling with intimate realism. Their careful attention to light, texture, and expression gives the work a haunting cinematic quality, while the absence of colour directs the viewer’s focus to form, emotion, and gaze.

This exhibition invites viewers to reflect on the mythology we build around fictional figures and how these characters mirror our own identities, desires, and fears. Whether drawing from cabaret performers, comic book heroes, or noir-inspired archetypes, the artist’s work remains rooted in humanity, capturing the emotional undercurrents that lie beneath surface glamour.

With a unique visual language and a commitment to storytelling, this show establishes Victor as a contemporary mythmaker—transforming pop culture into timeless portraiture.