Feast of Belonging

Live, Love, Lobster is a vibrant series of paintings celebrating queer community through shared meals.

INTERVIEW BY Neyani Mphephu PHOTOS Nicholai Thomas for AITY Gallery

Bold, joyful, and unapologetically maximalist – Kyle Jardine’s dynamic paintings transform domestic dining spaces into celebratory sanctuaries, where queer community and the simple ritual of sharing a meal become a memorable experience. Each canvas in the Live, Love, Lobster series creates an imagined world, painted in fearless fuchsias, vermilions, and sapphire blues, where everyone has a seat at the table.

We spoke to Kyle about joy as resistance, radical inclusion, and the power of creating welcoming spaces.

What does the title Live, Love, Lobster represent to you, and how does it capture the essence of what you’re trying to create in these paintings? 

“My approach to my work, and the essence of it, is rooted in play. The title is a tongue-in-cheek wordplay on the popular phrase ‘live, love, laugh’. It’s a theme that echoes the concept of gathering and the common factors that unite us, with the most popular reason to gather often centred around food. 

The core of my work is heightened by my theatrical background. As in musical theatre, characters break into song in heightened moments, and in a sense my work captures that song in its own visual language. Ultimately, the work aims to capture a feeling or moment, something everyone can relate to and recognise themselves in.” 

Your work celebrates queer community and the concept of ‘kiki’ – creating safe gathering spaces. How have your own experiences shaped this vision of painting safe spaces into existence? 

“Drawing from my experience in theatre, as well as being included among a drag theatre family, and from my own lived experiences of feeling excluded or being bullied growing up, I create work that is inclusive and allows everyone to feel welcome in the worlds I build in my paintings. In a sense, it explores life imitating art, or vice versa, where the work itself becomes a reason to bring people together.” 

How would you describe your artistic philosophy, and what core beliefs shape how you approach your work? 

“My artistic philosophy is centred around love, joy and happiness. In an already chaotic world filled with uncertainty, there is an assurance that the experience of my work will leave you feeling better than when you found it. At its core, my work resounds with love, play and joyful themes. If I’ve been successful at channelling this into my work, then the essence is bound to reach the viewer.” 

The dining table appears as a central motif – what draws you to celebrate the ritual of the shared meal, and to choose domestic interior spaces rather than other settings? 

“I have a love and appreciation for interior architecture. The sense of home, belonging, and the central theme of a shared meal are things we can all relate to. As a homebody and a creature of ritual, I find great comfort in bringing loved ones together around a table.” 

Can you walk us through your creative process, and what’s your favourite part of building these layered worlds? 

“My process is never quite linear. There is something exciting and spontaneous about gathering inspiration through daily life. My process takes shape from sketches, gathered images, moments from songs. These culminate in the adventure of approaching a canvas and allowing the world to take shape. As a maximalist in the worlds I create, there is always room for more. The exciting part is seeing where it all ends up and what has risen to the surface.” 

The colour palette – bright fuchsia, vermilion, sapphire blue – is so bold and confident. How did you develop this visual language, and how do these colours shape the overall look and feel? 

“Colour echoes the sentiment within my work and the reason I create it. My work is a place where I get to use every crayon in the box; there are no rules or limits. It’s been a natural development, since I’m drawn to the brighter side of life and the optimism that colour ignites within me. The overall look and feel reflects a world that visually enchants the viewer; it’s a place of constant discovery.” 

What emotions do you want to stir in viewers when they step into one of your painted gathering spaces? 

“I want people to feel recognised and accepted. My paintings are imagined worlds where everyone is welcome. There is a great love that travels through my creative process, and if it’s able to reach the other side, my work is complete.” 

What’s next for your artistic practice, and how do you see your exploration of community, identity, and domestic space evolving in future work? 

“My journey in the studio is always evolving; it’s a creative space with no limits. I intend to continue creating on a broader level, with many more media to be explored – art that lives on fashion, furniture, and so much more.” 

Live, Love, Lobster is currently showing at AITY Gallery until 2 March 2026. | aitygallery.com

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