Domestic Bodies
das heimliche
Living in an uncertain reality, the amorphous lines between ourselves and our now limited environment start to merge. These spaces have moved beyond their initial function of safety and comfort into something eerie and uncanny. My paintings seek to explore this environment- the domestic space in relation to the body and the mind, while tackling themes ranging from the loss of the sense of self, feminism, politics and religion. This is expressed through the distortion, fragmentation and incompleteness of the body- body of anonymous and often faceless characters that inhabit my work. These figures are only understood in relation to their immediate surroundings, as an extension of their shared consciousness. The aim of these images is to instigate a sense of quiet introspection, as we continue to repel and embrace our surroundings and ourselves.
Figure 1
Domestic Collection
2021
Oil on Recycled Paper Bag
44.5cm x 37cm
Figure 2
Domestic Collection
2021
Oil on Recycled Paper Bag
44.5cm x 37cm
Lamp Head 1
Domestic Collection
2021
Oil on Recycled Paper Bag
35.5cm x 28cm
Lamp Head 2
Domestic Collection
2021
Oil on Recycled Paper Bag
35.5cm x 28cm
Bed Hair
Domestic Collection
2021
Relief Print
30cm x 25cm
Straighten Yourself Out
Domestic Collection
2021
Relief Print
30cm x 25cm
Drink Me
Domestic Collection
2021
Relief Print
30cm x 25cm
Mother
Domestic Collection
2021
Relief Print
30cm x 25cm
Forniphilia?
Domestic Collection
2021
Relief Print
30cm x 25cm
Embryo Tank, Fish Fit Too
Domestic Collection
2021
Relief Print
30cm x 25cm
This series of works is made up of 6 simple colourful relief prints, each one speaking to its own issue and criticising an aspect of the domestic, whether this be the repression of female sexuality, the disregard of the mother as more than a tool of domestic existence and once again the loss of the self to the environment. In each print the conflictive interaction between space and the female body is shown in the way the surroundings envelop, fuse or challenge the figures till some of them become almost unrecognizable- yet in doing so they speak for one another, through a form of shared consciousness.
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Three Lamps and One Window
Domestic Collection
2021
Oil On Canvas
121cm x 69.5cm
The main characters of this work are the lamp heads that have grown to become the symbol of representation for this line of work, in which I seek to question the repression and objectification of the female body in the domestic space, through the loss of their humanity in exchange for perspective, and merging with the environments. An environment that they have become a part of yet due to their hybrid nature do not fully fit in. The 3 supposed female bodies each sit in a different position of “comfort” or staged posing, once again highlighting the duality around the role of the female body in the domestic scene and the idea of performance. This is only enhanced in the design of the domestic space; the floors resemble that of a chess board expressing the idea of game/manipulation and paying homage to Lewis’ Carroll's 'Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass'. The room is bare except for a discoloured white/cream sofa at the back. While the window, in its attempt to be inconspicuous and almost hidden despite its bright red shutters, stands out as an outsider. It is the only visible connection to the exterior yet it is incomplete- a ghost of what it formerly stood for with a crack revealing the daunting possibilities of the exterior. My initial sketches were greatly inspired by Matisse's ‘The Piano Lesson’ and further on by Beatriz Colomina’s essay ‘Split Wall: Domestic Voyeurism, in Sexuality & Space’: “A window is a man, it stands upright” only my window is wonky, and awkward. “A sofa is often placed at the foot of a window so as to position the occupants with their backs to it, facing the room”.
Reading Corner
Domestic Collection
2024
Oil On Canvas
40cm x 40cm
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Figure 3
Domestic Collection
2024
Oil On Canvas
60cm x 40cm