“Circus is a funny old beast, because people want to be excited and thrilled. Though they definitely don’t want to see an accident, people want to feel that they might see an accident, so we have to walk a fairly fine line between, well, acting and perceived danger.” – Martin Burton, founder of Zippos Circus.

His quote captures the essence of Roberto Cambi’s portray of this aerialist mid-performance, swinging 30 feet above the audience with no safety nets or wires.

The performance of a trapeze artist is a balancing act between opposites – life and death, success and failure, reality and entertainment – but also an exploration of risk, trust, fear and expectations. For what is life if not a circus?

Oil painting on canvas.
50cm wide x 70cm high.