From April 5 to May 16, 2025, Galerie Eva Presenhuber in Zurich will host The Golden Recline, the seventh solo exhibition by Canadian artist Steven Shearer. A visual exploration of vulnerability and the suspension of time, the show delves into images that speak of sleep, abandonment, and digital memory.

Shearer has drawn from a vast archive of photographs found online, once shared on platforms like Picasa, Blogger, and Photobucket—now nearly impossible to find. These images capture sleeping bodies in involuntary poses, figures seemingly suspended between deep slumber and oblivion, between tranquility and total surrender. In some cases, the intimacy of the scene is disrupted by unsettling details: a trace of drool, a marker stain on the skin, faces flushed from alcohol. Alongside these images of restless sleep, photographs of sleeping newborns stand out, bringing a sense of purity and ethereal calm.

Shearer’s work plays on subtle ambiguity. His images evoke references to classical art, from Bernini’s Ecstasy of Saint Teresa to Mantegna’s Dead Christ, while simultaneously reflecting the fragility of human existence in contemporary society. When an earlier version of this series was displayed on billboards in Vancouver in 2021, it was removed after just two days—the public had associated the images with lifeless bodies, triggering an immediate act of censorship.

Shearer weaves his research with Aby Warburg’s theory of Pathosformeln, which suggests that certain gestures and expressions recur over time, carrying the weight of ancestral meanings. In this reading, sleep is not merely a moment of rest but a timeless symbol, evoking both peace and vulnerability.

In an era dominated by relentless productivity, where rest is often seen as a luxury or a waste of time, The Golden Recline becomes a reflection on the silent resistance of sleep. Shearer captures a moment beyond control, an involuntary act that stands in opposition to the frenetic pace of the present. His images, caught in this tension between abandonment and resistance, force us to look at sleep with fresh eyes.

The exhibition will be on view at Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Maag Areal, Zahnradstr. 21, Zurich, with an opening reception on April 4 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM.

Courtesy the artist and Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Zurich / Vienna © the artist