The title of the series, ‘Facade’, refers both to the façade of a building and to the concept of a façade: an exterior that simultaneously reveals and conceals. Just like a façade, the image represents a first encounter, an invitation that arouses curiosity but never reveals everything. This tension between visibility and concealment lies at the heart of this series.

At first glance, a recognisable portrait emerges – a face that seems familiar. But the longer one looks at the image, the more that sense of recognition gives way to uncertainty. The fleeting traces of fire and soot create a subtle interplay of light, shadow and abstraction, making the image seem to teeter constantly between appearing and disappearing.

The viewer is invited to come closer and unravel the image, whilst at the same time it eludes any unambiguous interpretation. The distortion of the face raises questions about identity, memory and presence. Because the images are constructed from the residue of a combustion process, they never seem to be fully fixed and take on an almost ephemeral quality. The soot lends each work a fragile, almost immaterial presence, as if the image were suspended between memory and appearance – visible, yet always on the verge of disappearing once more.

Materials:
Soot on white paper.

70x100cm