A woman’s back is turned resolutely against her partner who holds his head in his hands in despair as he stares to the floor. The human scale of this painting brings the subject’s face directly into the viewer’s own. Rendered in a delicate wash of pale watercolour, this work forms part of a series that constitutes a high concept idea of recreating very recognisable, generic staged photos that are used as a shorthand to reference male sex problems: the mainstay of "so-called" agony aunt articles.

Guy Oliver’s new body of work continues his long-standing interest in exploring issues of male identity, notions of failure and the concept of the tragi-comic, delving into the sometimes uncomfortable subjects of embarrassing ailments that tend to affect men and their fragile egos. By recognising the repetitive nature of these stock poses, Oliver moves beyond their intended sincerity to draw out their gestural comic value.

This unique work (the largest of Oliver’s watercolours in the exhibition) is painted in watercolour on paper, which decisively harnesses delicate fragility, to reflect the narrative of the threatened male ego. It is framed in a white frame.