An ongoing dialogue with the work of outsider artist Aloïse Corbaz (Switzerland 1886-1964). The largest collection of her work is held by the Collection l'Art Brut in Lausanne. My first visit to the archive was in autumn 2022 where I had the privilege of seeing the work in person and interviewing experts. The work is now continuing in my studio, writing and making work in response to her practice and  art work.

The project is still in progress but will result in both material and written content.

Image: One can't just give up, right? mixed media, 2023

In the ongoing Rückenfigur series I employ a painterly device popular in the Romantic era that has typically been deployed as a site of identification for the viewe-  to allow them inside the landscape or scene. In my application the inherent contradiction and impossibility of this is laid bare. Painted on glass, the figure is only ever viewable from the back, and the viewer is blatantly refused access to the inner workings and perceived perspective of the figure. 

I benefit hugely from the rich history of art, and I often refer to pictorial archetypes from different eras. The girl figure in the Rückenfigur work ‘Aim’ (2020) also draws from the historical ‘putti’ figures - the angelic and naughty boys that can be seen peeing in fountains, fondling women or generally partying  in monuments, ornaments and paintings all over the world. This piece was included in the survey exhibition of Swedish contemporary painting, Nu!/Now! at Museum Anna Nordlander in 2020.