Shannon Pawliw | I wanted the whole world or nothing

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Shannon Pawliw, “I wanted the whole world or nothing,” 2024

(courtesy of THIS Gallery and Shannon Pawliw)

Opening Reception: Saturday, November 9 from noon - 4 PM. The artist will be in attendance.

In her exhibition, I wanted the whole world or nothing, Shannon Pawliw delves into the mysterious narratives of youth, where disaster hovers on the horizon but remains distant, almost mythical. The paintings draw from the torturous yet wildly free space of preteen and early teen years—a time marked by a belief in invulnerability, when everything still seems possible, despite the first inklings of impending doom.

Growing up, Pawliw and her cousin would sneak out of the house in the dead of night, drawn by the quiet allure of their sleeping neighbourhood. Under the cover of darkness, they prowled the streets, exploring the world when it felt like their own secret domain. There was something thrilling about those late-night escapades, a sense of invincibility that only came from being young and free. They would eventually find their way to the all-night donut shop, where they would sit for hours, sipping sugary drinks and laughing as the world outside remained still and quiet.

These nocturnal adventures were more than just a rebellion; they were moments of connection and discovery—of pushing against boundaries while the world around them slumbered. In these small, stolen hours, they felt both untouchable and on the cusp of something larger, with the first hints of adulthood looming on the horizon. Pawliw’s work channels this tension between the fearless exploration of youth and the underlying, often unspoken, sense that these carefree moments may not last forever.

In these moments, the wild oblivion to disaster collides with the burgeoning responsibilities of being a ‘grownup’. Pawliw’s exploration of this precarious time—the cusp of adulthood—examines how childhood’s carefree rebellion is slowly shaped by societal expectations, particularly around gender roles. At the age of 12, she often existed in the in-between, where freedom met confinement, and limitless possibility felt tethered by subtle boundaries.

Her exhibition title, inspired by the Charles Bukowski quote (“I wasn't much of a petty thief. I wanted the whole world or nothing.”- Post Office), echoes this theme. Like the desire to grasp everything or be left with nothing, the work captures the push and pull between innocence and awareness, disaster and adventure. Pawliw’s art becomes a space where the edges of childhood blur into adulthood, and the invincibility of youth collides with the realities of growing up.