Carving Her Way Through the Dancefloor

Carving Her Way Across the Dancefloor by Dex Hannon is a visceral response to the haunting storytelling of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. Inspired by John Finn's Wife from the album Henry’s Dream, the painting captures the intense, devilish energy of the song’s tale of infidelity and murder. Cave’s rich, visual lyricism, paired with his hoarse, impassioned voice, became the perfect catalyst for this evocative work.

The canvas is alive with a juxtaposition of warm and cold colours, layered and raked with deliberate, almost feral lines. The interplay of bold reds and whites creates both depth and urgency, mirroring the rawness of human emotion. These layered textures and contrasting tones evoke a sense of passion and tension, echoing the chaos and drama of the song.

“The music flew through the brush and into my fingers,” Hannon explains. “Every movement was influenced by the story’s intensity—its violence, its longing, and its unrelenting rhythm.”

This painting is not just an interpretation but an emotional translation of the song—a dance of colour and texture that conveys the narrative’s dark, hypnotic pull.