Warm, close, fragrant, slippery, juicy, smooth, sultry, soft, fluffy. These are words that could be used to describe these paintings.
Touch enables us to perceive our surroundings through our bodies. The other senses — taste, smell, sight and hearing — also come into play here in relation to bodily awareness and the sensations that arise from it. Beyond the five main senses, we also speak of balance and spatial awareness. It is striking how many layers of perception and simultaneous processes shape our experience of being in the world.
We primarily experience the world through our senses, interpreting the information they provide.
Red is unrestrained, passionate and direct. I chose the colour to talk about sensuality, sexuality and pleasure.
The language of closeness, sensuality, intimate and social relations are essential points of reference for me, helping me to define my position in the world.
One of my inspirations was “Kissed”, painted by Marlene Dumas. It shows two people in a moment of intimacy.
Everything is happening just beyond the frame. I was intrigued by the closeness, and by the sense that I was looking at a landscape. When I came across the work, I was searching for answers about independence and coexistence, and the balance between the two.
In my works spider is a rather ambivalent figure. It is unsettling yet also quite endearing.I imagine this spider as being like a light tickle. It’s patient, slow weaving suggests safety, and in the context of sexuality it symbolises feminine vitality, creativity, and sensual tension. In folk tradition, the spider represents luck and good fortune; today, however, it can also point to the tension between pleasure and social control.
