Identity concealed, intimacy concealed?

Inspired by the early 20th century modernist movement in Brazil, this artwork is an open commentary on which parts of our bodies most constitute our identities and which most imply closeness of intimacy. The tropical leaves – themselves drawn upon paper handmade from tropical grasses – cover the body in intentional places to provoke reflection on somatic elements of intimacy and identity. The background of the work constitutes large, fluid and monochromic shapes, both emulating aspects of the natural background whilst also infusing a sense of energy into the piece through the addition of these modernist fluid forms.

Dry pastel on Egyptian papyrus paper, 50cm x 70cm, 2025