Taking a completely different, yet equally as compelling approach to the notion of identity and relationships are the subtlety naïve, yet highly sophisticated works on paper by Swedish artist, Gertrude Alfredsson. Working in pastels, her mystical figurative drawings explore the notion of the inner conflict between a person and her own self. In one image we are presented with two figures, symbolically joined at the head, while in another we see an unknown hand pushing down on someone’s head from above; we assume it’s the subject’s own hand pushing down on herself. Such works evoke the sense of frustration we often feel when confronted with our own worst enemy: ourselves. Like Alfredsson, Leah Beabout presents a collection of works on paper. Her distinctive drawing installation of quasi-diary and journal illustrations was composed of a chaotic arrangement of drawings tacked to the wall. The piece continued Alfredsson’s dialogue about one’s relationship with one’s own life, and the thinking and remembering process itself. Here Beabout, a self-trained artist and rapper/singer, courageously tells us her story; from struggling on the streets to the epic loss of her own child. Each story is told from her own unique perspective of a young woman to her incarcerated lover. The delicacy, urgency and scale of each narrative reflect the destination of each note.
The Ties That Bond Us
New York
Jill Smith
The Ties That Bond Us
New York
Jill Smith
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