By Jonty Ralphsmith
Dandenong-based artist Shane Vandort looks me in the eye and shakes my hand as we sit down to chat about his fledgling career.
That seemingly archetypal introduction between two relative strangers is significant for Shane.
Shane’s artwork, omitting pupils from his pieces, reveals to admirers his difficulty with making eye-contact.
He wants to bring others into his sphere, a world where eye contact does not foster emotional connection, something he long battled throughout his youth and early adulthood.
Art has made eye-contact more comfortable, though it still feels foreign and unnatural to Shane.
Part of Shane’s pursuit of art was allowing him to express himself organically, independently of perceived cultural restraints.
The tattoos Shane wears, designed and inked himself, and his pursuit of the arts contradicts his perception of the white-collar Sri Lankan culture.
“I like to think I break down the culture for other people because I’m sure there’s other people that want to be a bit more individual,” Shane said.
A portrait of Shane’s father was the centrepiece of his exhibition at Bunjil Place in April, an important step towards cultural and community acceptance.
Recently, Shane has begun combining his love of nature walks with his artistic flair, picking up pieces of bark that he can draw on.
His increasing immersion in the arts fraternity – he is part of several clubs and now has several exhibitions under his belt – has mirrored a growth in confidence.
His pupil-less drawings may remain his point-of-difference as an artist but they are moreso an ode to his past difficulties than an illustration of his current disconnect.
“I make a more conscious effort to look people in the eyes, but when I look a person in the eye, I don’t really see anything because I’m so used to not looking people in the eyes,” he said.
Shane will have an exhibition at BLACKCAT Gallery in Fitzroy on Wednesday 30 November.
