5 Breaths Caught 2016

The grip leaves, shedding engrained patterns from a blocked head and body. Destroying her past works, the breaths have been created from the remains resulting in uncontrollable bursts to release the male block. The male caught is the artist George Baselitz. On the day of completion of composing the canvas, Baselitz reaffirmed his statement “Women don’t paint very well. It’s a fact,”

Self Portraits - Breath series

110 works on paper that draw on the technique of analytical breath release. The held breath allows the mind to survey the body and identify blocks which are then purged via the outward breath. This control and release oscillates between gentle and forceful at the hiatus of the process.

The artwork is raw and direct as it is created after each release. This examination allows honest realisations to surface and the blocks and denials to be observed. Presenting itself is patriarchal control and matriarchal manipulation observed and passed on in subtle codes and signals during childhood and reinforced in society. Childhood trauma and abuse surfaces with film-like images. These flashbacks cause direct physical feelings in the body. The patterns of indoctrination leave with the out breath.

This analysis is powerful, painful and raw. Overwhelming feelings surface on the out breath; breaking the patterns, hardness, cutting, feelings of drowning and tears never shed. The images are produced from a roll of aged paper that has been in the artist's possession in the studio since the beginning. This paper is as old as the life that is being detoxified.

This is a discovery of the power of breath and the understanding that it was never imagined.

Breath Paintings

The subject is Self.

In Kubisa’s new works she applies her artistic endowment to paintings that wallow in the strength of pain and purge old moulds. Moulds, some self-imposed, some ingrained from society, others the block from the subtle invisibilty of being a women.

The process unblocks sensations, distant memories and examines Self. Trauma and outdated patterns uncontrollably purge out with each breath making a space for new patterns to form. The intense stare in these portraits is uncomfortable, as if waiting and watching for the chaos to expel.

Cut up Diamonds

Cut Up Diamonds Series are a personal protest of circumstance that came out of a studio move and evaluation of work. Crisis followed and the Breath Series was created alongside the ‘Cut Up Diamond Series’. Past works created in the old life/studio now seemed insignificant and worthless and were cut-up to make the new works. Through this process, issues of being overwhelmed, lost and the hardness of circumstance were explored with a raw approach. Materials were re-evaluated - expensive oils no longer used - instead homemade charcoal, crayons, pens, inks and acrylics.

“Freedom from the past was to cut up the past” - Seran Kubisa

Hard Diamond Cluster

Hard Cut Diamond

Fragile Diamond

Can No Speak

Breathing out the patriarch. Keep that mouth shut and full of male.

Work harder, try harder, and be harder. Speak French, speak, speak, dumb female brain. I must work harder, try harder and be a genius. Is it possible for her to be a genius?

Gold sticky plasters covers eyes and mind of damaging experiences. The plasters are broken, and old wounds surface triggered by a new experience of being a foreigner who can’t speak. The identity of self now entwined with no communication, no value and full, just too full, of male block.