​Illuminations (paintings)

No shadows without light, and other enlightening observations.

The Psychoanalyst Carl Jung first developed the concept of the “shadow self” to describe the things people repress or do not like to acknowledge. He theorized that it is a counterweight to the persona, which is the self that people present to others.
In a quest to better acquaint myself with my own hidden side, I went for many walks and tried to face my shadow self. On these outings, I was often amused by the projection of my shadow, and spontaneously began to perform with it. A shadow can represent many things: gloom, obscurity, fears, the unknown. Using the silhouette as an outline drawing, containing and thus revealing spontaneously found objects and forms, I created a relationship between me and the surfaces my shadow was projected on.

As a young art student, I discovered Ana Mendieta’s work through her photographs documenting her ephemeral sculptures and performances. In her “Silueta” series, she uses her body to intervene or be part of the earth (landscape). Sometimes, when I saw my silhouette, I was reminded of Mendieta’s work, and maybe at first I was not conscious of it, but it clearly influenced me. The photographs were taken in a playful, and spontaneous manner, they are the stepping stone for the paintings, which require time and are, for me as a painter, a constant struggle with my own limitations. The paintings are, with their many layers, a continuation of my inner dialogues, of my struggle to conceal and reveal my shadow self.