Peter Stichbury at Tracy Williams, Ltd.

Peter Stichbury, Xavier Gravas, acrylic on linen, 2012.
Peter Stichbury, Xavier Gravas, acrylic on linen, 2012.

Xavier Gravas is adrift in the contemporary, communication-saturated world.  Consternation bows the perfect swoosh of his arching eyebrows.  His full lips are set grimly together.  He is an invented character that his creator, Aukland-based artist Peter Stichbury, calls a ‘Superfluous Man.’  Haunted by a sense of insignificance, Xavier peruses personal perfection to exquisite and troubling effect. (At Chelsea’s Tracy Williams, Ltd., through Dec 22nd).