‘NARCISSIST’

THE SELF PORTRAITS

30th September - 28th October 2025
Australian National Veteran Arts Museum (ANVAM)
Melbourne Fringe Festival: Southbank, Vic.

NARCISSIST: The Self Portraits was the fifth solo exhibition by the artist Thom Crowhurst. Created in conjunction with several months of therapy following a devastating breakup, the artist used the process to confront his shattered ego, and attempt to heal his broken heart.

”This exhibition of self portraits follows the journey of reemerging creativity in the aftermath of heartbreak, and facing the uncomfortable parts of oneself that grief and loss drag to the surface. Each portrait represents a non-linear response to shifting internal states, rather than literal representations of the physical self.

NARCISSIST seeks to explore the illusion of identity and what happens when it falls to pieces. It is an existential confrontation with the ego itself, and a blind, uncertain stumble through the process of healing and rebuilding one's self worth.”

"Last year I began visualising this artist persona I had built up around myself, this metaphorical mask I’d begun to wear and how it had started to attach itself to my face. You've gotta back yourself in this game, but sometimes its easy for that arrogance and over inflated ego to creep its way into your personal life.

After finding out I had been labeled as a narcissist by someone close to me, I immediately went to therapy to find out how to overcome this affliction. It was a pain too great to bear and I hated the idea of bringing that shit into someone's life. Turns out narcissists don't usually do this so I'm pretty good in that regard I reckon.”

- on ‘The Mask’ (Self Portrait) 2025 (series of 24)
Spray paint, acrylic and marker on paper mache masks (dimensions variable)
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