Ralaivao puts a modern spin on figurative painting traditions. “In classical portraiture, there is a distance between the public and the person represented. I want to erase that distance.” The ultra-close-up, immaculately executed and seamlessly blended paintings punctuate a fleshy palette of pastel hues with tiny, bodily details like moles and blemishes. While thinly layered brushstrokes lend the works a dream-like, almost airbrushed quality, the body language of their subjects is palpably relaxed and off-guard. This is because all of the paintings depict real moments from Ralaivao’s daily life: intimate snapshots of his partner during Covid-19 quarantines or self-portraits of the artist in his home.