SAGUARO | GERWYN DAVIES

Gerwyn Davies (Ipswich, Queensland, 1985) is an Australian-born artist whose practice combines the art of tailoring with photography. He personally creates the costumes worn by the characters in his staged compositions, laying the foundation for a body of work that explores the boundary between authenticity and the realm of imagination.

In his artworks, Davies recreates scenarios that are anything but sober, juxtaposing real people and environments with almost surreal elements. Observing his images, one feels confronted with an expertly staged illusion, if not an outright mirage. In fact, a fitting example is the series titled Mirage, of which the artwork Saguaro (2024) is a part.
The composition of the photograph is quite simple, even essential, yet at the same time brilliant: the protagonist is a man—the artist himself in disguise—standing at the center of the image, holding a beer bottle and wearing entirely white shoes and socks. So far, nothing particularly extravagant. What makes him an exceptionally peculiar figure, however, is the shimmering cactus-shaped bodysuit made entirely of vibrant green sequins that sparkle in the sunlight. The garment leaves his arms and legs exposed but conceals his face, rendering the artist unrecognizable except for the tattoos covering every inch of visible skin.
The background—or rather, the set—of this portrait is a wild natural landscape made up of shrubs, cacti, and distant mountain ranges.
The protagonist of the artwork is placed in a context that appears coherent and integrated with the environment—the cactus as a distinctive and characteristic element of a desert landscape. However, every detail seems to reveal an intention not to conform to the rest of his ‘peers’: a cactus proud of its identity but also of the diversity that makes it unique and unrepeatable.
In this sense, Davies skillfully plays with the dual meaning of the title: “Saguaro” is both the name of a type of cactus and a well-known brand of barefoot shoes.

Davies’ artwork seems to flirt with the style of advertising photography—the protagonist posing under the spotlight, the product included in the frame, the extravagant fashion—only to ultimately reveal itself as a strong and powerful message of self-determination.

Gerwyn Davies
Saguaro, 2024
From the series Mirage, archival pigment print
© Gerwyn Davies, Michael Reid Galleries Sydney / Berlin, and Jan Murphy Gallery Brisbane

11/01/25