Farah Atassi

Farah Atassi

Farah Atassi (1981, Brussels)

"The paintings are direct extension of what I have been experimenting with for the past two years. I have explored the classic subjects of paintings: still life; female nude; musical theme; and studio. I always start by defining a space with a roof, a horizon and a first step that sets the scene, or rather, a stage for my performance. Theater stages and sets, on which I then place figures or compositions, unfold with a grid formed by their vanishing lines. The next step is to “rhyme” the figures and the background [...] I’m looking for the right level of artificiality to allow sufficient freedom. I do figurative paintings with an abstract painter’s language: the foundation of my work is geometric shapes. From a strictly formal point of view, I acknowledge Cubism as a source. I’m obviously not alone in admiring Picasso. His models, wives or mistresses, were also influenced by the desire he had for them. For my part, I try to paint models as objects without the libidinous aspect. I try to make the figures come true, but without the pathos. Matter, however, is vibrant: it embraces its own repentance, sometimes its thickened impasto. The painterly substance is what drives emotion."

—Farah Atassi, interview with Eric Troncy