That Low Door in The Wall – solo exhibition by Barnaby Whitfield
"To know and love one other human being is the root of all wisdom."
– This is one of the most famous quotes from Brideshead Revisited (1945) by Evelyn Waugh – a novel about love, longing, and the fragile bonds that tie us together.
What do we do when love falls apart?
That question lies at the heart of our upcoming exhibition at Gallery Poulsen.
On September 19th, we open that low door in the wall – a deeply personal and visually powerful solo exhibition by American artist Barnaby Whitfield. The title comes from Brideshead Revisited, where a hidden door leads into a secret garden. But in this show, the door doesn’t open to paradise – it takes us through heartbreak, memory, and self-reflection.
Whitfield’s portraits are both beautiful and unsettling. His figures shift between different roles – as lover, mother, or self – and show us just how complex it can be to be close to another person. These works don’t offer easy answers, but instead a raw honesty and reflection: What does it mean to love someone, to lose them – and to live with what remains?
Love and loss are part of what it means to be human – but right now, in a world marked by uncertainty, crisis, and change, the fragility of our relationships feels even more intense. Barnaby Whitfield’s paintings speak not only of personal heartbreak – they can also be seen as a mirror held up to ourselves, and to our troubled relationship with the world around us. Like the figures in his work, we find ourselves caught between connection and alienation, hope and fear, survival and responsibility.
We are all both victims and creators of the spaces we inhabit – whether those spaces are homes, relationships, or the planet itself. And with that comes a responsibility – one that demands a form of self-awareness.
In this way, that low door in the wall invites us not only to reflect on intimacy and loss, but to face the emotional complexities we carry – as individuals and as a society. The exhibition reminds us that healing – whether from love or from larger crises – is never simple. Sometimes, what hurts the most is also what teaches us the most. Barnaby invites us to look one another – and ourselves – in the eye.
Whitfield doesn’t portray himself as a victim. He is fully aware of his own role in the story – and that awareness is reflected in the works. They ask: What do we create together? And what do we do when it breaks?
that low door in the wall is not about nostalgia or longing for what once was. It’s about facing the truth. The people in these works are neither heroes nor villains – they’re simply human. Just like the rest of us.
We hope you’ll join us for a moving and timely exhibition about love, loss, and everything in between.
We invite you to step through the door.
Opening reception Friday September 19th: 17.00 – 20:00
Gallery Poulsen, Staldgade 32, Copenhagen
For more info, please contact the gallery at [email protected] or on tel. + 45 33 33 93 96
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