Artists Research

The following artists works link well with my project, “The Black Mirror” whereby I portray physical abuse in relationships:-

Marlene Dumas
During my formative assessment, Ian suggested I research the works of Marlene Dumas as he believes her works link with my project. Marlene Dumas is a South African born artist and painter who works mainly with oil on canvas and ink on paper. During the 1980’s Dumas began painting heads and figures. She works mainly from her own personal photographs, sometimes adjusting the colours, using her characteristic palettes of greys, blues and reds. Her portraits remove the subjects from their original context making them unidentifiable. Although the majority of her works may be categorized as “portraits”, they are not portraits in the traditional sense because rather than representing an actual person, they represent an emotion or a state of mind, portraying themes of race and sexuality, guilt and innocence, violence and tenderness. Her works link with my photographs of Jennifer and Amy where I have applied makeup to their faces to resemble cuts and bruises which signify domestic violence.

 

 

“Jule- die Vrou”, 1985 is an extreme close up disembodied portrait painting where the model’s eyes and lips portray seduction and sexuality. The rest of the painting is obliterated by the use of dramatic reds and deep pinks portraying femininity, sin, violence and womanhood.

Dumas’ paintings typically show a face or a figure in dramatic close up, isolated against a neutral background portraying trauma. In addiction to her oil on canvas paintings, she also uses inky watercolours on paper that resemble disturbing scenes.

 

Derya Kilic
Turkish artist, Derya Kilic created a reinterpretation of the painting, “The Girl with a Pearl Earring” by Johannes Vermeer in which she painted cuts and bruises on the subject’s eyes, cheeks and chin. Her intent was to make viewers aware that domestic violence could affect women they know.

Her photography exhibition, “To Know, To See” which closed in mid January of this year included a series of well known figures including paintings by Salvador Dali, Edvard Munch, Leonardo Da Vinci and Gustav Klimt, each displaying the marks of violence on their faces and bodies. By using famous paintings, Kilic believed people would look at the photographs and realize that violence can happen to women they know.

 

Nathalie Labaki
Lebanese artist, Nathalie Labaki creates intense subject matter in the use or misuse of the body in the human figure within her works. Having been influenced by conceptual art, her motivation comes from tragedies, social and cultural issues and real life events. Labaki aims to provide the public with an experience enabling them “to deal with their internal relationships, both physical and psychological”. Human expression and suffering are typical of her works which is probably why she identifies with Italian bohemian artist, Amedeo Clemente who was tormented for most of his life.

Her painting, “Against Domestic Violence” links really well with my project.

 

Adelaide Damoah
British artist, Adelaide Damoah’s works combines African and Western influences while highlighting social issues. Damoah has had four solo shows to date, one of which is a domestic violence exhibition for registered charity, the “National Centre for Domestic Violence”. To date she has examined social issues in her work including race, identity, sexuality and domestic violence. Damoah was commissioned by the NCDV to produce ten paintings to help raise awareness of the domestic violence.