In The Maypole – The Dance That Holds Us, Tobias Keene reworks a familiar ceremonial motif into a nocturnal and psychologically charged scene. The painting resists pastoral readings, unfolding instead as a suspended ritual in which figures hover between movement and stillness. Ribbons extend from a central axis, functioning less as decoration than as connective forces, binding bodies into a shared yet unresolved choreography. The surrounding darkness operates as an interior space, shaping the work’s sense of tension, restraint, and collective presence.

Oil on Wood - 3 Panels

72h x 144w

182.88h x 365.76w