RICHARD M. RAWLINS: Girls of Murray Street

Detail: 'Girls of Murray Street at Bohemia'

Last year I began a series of paintings, a follow on to my earlier work at EAW2009 Space for Rent, entitled Girls of Murray Street. In it I depicted prostitutes of the Murray and Roberts Street Woodbrook tracks. The 'Murray and Roberts' is the biggest of the pieces, it portrays a street walker that looks very young but very prematurely old at the same time, it is layered by a poem I wrote 'Out by the Park', in which I depict a likely conversation between a slightly crazy hustling woman and a patron. The series was never finished though as other projects and explorations took precedence.


Detail: 'Murray and Roberts' at Bohemia

In my studies of these women, I've always found them to be so young but wise in the years of the street hustle. Barely 18 and 19 years old and in the hustle. I sought to portray the stark bending surreality of their times. Depending on the halflight and the steet lamps they actually appear bigger in size and age than they really are and at the same time older than they look at first glance.


Detail: 'Roberts and Carlos'

This realization dictated the style of painting. I sought to capture in almost bright flat childlike colours the disturbing portraits of these women, not to pass judgements but rather create a sense of dark humour that would actually stir a disturbance in the viewer. Is this voyeurism okay?


Detail: 'Roberts and Alfredo'

The flat depthless painting style was also inspired by the works of the behind the bridge sign painters of the Beetham and Piccadilly area of POS. It is reminiscent of the bars of George Street and such areas with their crudely drawn women wearing polka dot panties and bras alone on the walls.



EAW 2010 viral video: Darryn Boodan

poem: Out by the Park

When we out here in the night

is like roach running in the night

Up and down we shaking we ass

Watchin’ yuh up in yuh window

Glass

Hey baby yuh want ah pluck?

Two hundred to suck, three

Fo’ a fuck…

So wha? We going o wha?

The pussy real good daddy.

It tight and it hardy.

Come nah!!! Aye, yuh kno I like u.

Is out here I fuckin’ out here

hustlin’ some blue.

Is two fucking chile and

sick mudder to mine.

Is only three hundred

fo’ a fuckin’ wine.

Come leh we go

by the hospital quick

yuh know yuh custom

and I want dat prick.

Oh god come quick

nuh dem police outside

Dem ha’ all we gyul

running to hide

Thanks eh. Thought yuh

did change yuh mine.

Ah like yuh hat. I fine it nice.

Ah does see yuh out here…

Wid that woman. She yuh wife?

But wait why dem lil gyul getting on so

Up down like classless hoe

Not me. Not fucking me.

I doh go wid everybody.

Me? I is 21. I is a big ‘oman.

Doh watch meh slight. I is

A big ‘oman.

Look dat one dey she ent easy...

Nanny and ass beat so much

She flappy

Dat one dey another hoe

cyah suck prick, is only

a show

She. Oh god she. By dat pile ah leaf.

She is a cunt. To besides she’s a

Fuckin’ tief.

You ever eat dat Kfc? Yeah dat new one…

Ha. Original or Spicy oil. Ha. Dat funny.

Hold on eh…Wha..I cyah hear yuh. I not by

de park. Yuh’s a imps or wha’. Doh fuckin’ call

meh. Yeah I by the club later.

Dis fuckin’ phone. I cyah hear shit.

Yuh kno anything bout dem dual sim

phone and dem. No…ok.

Wha…ah talking to much?

But wait…Oh god oh. Doh stop here nah

Dem bitch and dem hate meh.

Dey go beat meh cunt. We ain’t going

again? Look I go stop talking. No…ok.

Just doh drop me by the park nuh.

Oh god no. I go give yuh back the money.

What keep it? Or keep a hundred.

I did thought yuh did say keep all.

Well sorry eh lover.

Look yuh want meh

Number?

No… Well aight den…

Hey baby yuh want ah pluck?

Two hundred to suck, three

Fo’ a fuck…

Is the work easy to digest? No. Is it funny? Somewhat. I think that we wear our hypocrisy like a favourite jockey shorts/panty that we don't want to take off. This work explores a bit of that hypocrisy.