Outsider

Inspired by Claude Cahun’s series of photographs titled ‘I am in training don’t kiss me’ (1928) – where she establishes gender ambiguity through her adoption of both feminine and masculine expectations (from the weights to the style of makeup) –, I explored different depictions of gender in art: ranging from looking at clothing and the art of menswear to the depiction of nudity and vulnerability in naked female models. Outsider is a painting about gender: the empty grey background forces our eyes on the only bright colour: the reddish-pink of the makeup, drawn almost to resemble a clown.

This piece was painted on a wood surface rather than a canvas, being a less conventional surface to paint on, to reinforce the sense of alienation.