Curios About: Untitled by Sandra Hickey

Untitled
By Sandra Hickey
Oil on Canvas, 12″ x 10″

1. This work is about . . . how the subject

matter appears to be neither male nor female – it is somewhere or something in between, suspended in a space unfamiliar to our perception of reality, a mutated form of a human, symbolising the twisted nature of our unconscious. The figures have neither faces nor eyes, thereby allowing the audience to voyeuristically consume without being seen.

2. I made this work because . . . I start each painting without a set composition in mind. Instead, I let the painting evolve.

3. I hope when people see this work they will . . . deal with aspects of the unconscious mind. I used the human body to portray aspects of the twisted nature of the mind: distorting the body and portraying it as an unfamiliar creature that has components recognisable as human. These Frankenstein-esque manifestations were twisted and dark, deceitful yet recognisable. What I am trying to do with these pieces was to lead the audience inside their own mind, interacting with their inner self and the composition.

4. In terms of art history, this work . . . is figurative, abstract and surrealist.

5. You can see my work . . . on my Cargo Collective website, on Saatchi Art and on Instagram.

Curios [sic] About is a series featuring works by Dublin artists, curated for us by our friends at the Square in the Circle blog, and hosted there as well as here.

Each artist is asked to submit an image of one work and answer a set of questions about it. We’d love it if you’d submit something you’ve made.