Juliette Manolié

I enter my workspace ready to do battle. The initial approach is decidedly physical: it involves gouging and scratching, then using waterproof India ink to imprint, infuse, and splatter the surface. The visual result is chaotic. While I yearn for balance and clarity, I am resisting any intellectual noise that might interrupt the work. There is always a struggle.

The push and pull of the process reflect the ambiguities and contradictions stemming from my feminist, bi-cultural experience. The paintings evoke feelings of longing, belonging, and alienation inspired by surrounding stimuli, readings, dreams, and childhood memories.

In my work, elements of the female figure are partial, contorted, or otherwise misrepresented​​ and take on a bolder symbolic value: women bow or rise to the invisible pull of expectations, and in the process, we often lose ourselves, disassemble, or dissociate.

Choosing a title is essential. It provides viewers with a lexicon to enter the work.