Lisa Slawitz

Lisa Slawitz’s paintings are inspired by Manga, contemporary literature and surrealism. Working on canvas, ceramic and various textiles, she depicts friendly, fabulous, sometimes ghost-like creatures. Mostly hybrid in nature, these figures often appear caught in the middle of a profound experience. Slawitz engages with painting as an object of knowledge, which is able to create alternative truths through images. She touches upon one of the fundamental ideas of the Surrealist movement, which was that an allegedly objective truth is insufficient. Similarly, Slawitz is interested in the perception of psychic and physical states, leading her to produce visualizations of sensed realities in bodies and mind. In this process, she draws upon themes such as relationships and sexuality in a patriarchal society. The androgynous figure depicted in Februar Portrait Inverse seems to represent a moment of introspection, embodying doubt or melancholy through the posture of the head, which leans heavily on the hand, and has almost no features except for a mighty eye. Positioned in a dark brown room, the figure’s body is divided into warmer colors on the left and darker colors on the right, as if to indicate a split mood. In Engel, Slawitz depicts a kind of angel, whose wings form the roof of a building, which houses a dark tunnel leading to a bright white light. The image evokes complex questions of our time, which oscillate between a positive belief and a negative disbelief in our future.

The large-format work Signing Reality, flat is immersive, funny and melancholic at the same time. At the center sits an evidently dismantled figure holding a book, while another character, perhaps a ghost or hybrid mythical creature, gallops behind the protagonist’s head. These moody glimpses into the mind are the result of Slawitz’ deep interest in psychology, reflecting on both the individual and collective unconscious.

Februar Portrait Inverse, 2023
Oil on high-density fiberboard
100 × 110 cm

Engel (Angel), 2023
Oil on canvas
140 × 160 cm

Signing Reality, flat, 2022
Mixed media on unprimed fabric
590 × 400 cm