Frances Matassa
Frances Matassa addresses various concerns of the body as a site of trauma, specifically focusing on how the body retains imprints of sexual assault. Her works explore fragmented memory, isolation, distortion of reality, loss of self, dissociation, and unease within the body. To express internal discomfort outwardly, Frances uses the confines of the canvas to restrict the body, compressing the figures into uncomfortable positions. Likewise, her choice of unnatural colours rather than flesh tones seeks to add an increased sense of alienation with the body, similar to experiencing a dissociated state. Highly saturated colours create a disconnect between content and medium in which bright and vibrant palettes reveal darker content over time.
Nude and often frontally facing, the figures Frances paints are exposed, alone, and vulnerable in their dreamlike environments. Enclosed walls and deserted landscapes act as symbols of derealization, creating surreal snapshots of intrusive thoughts or memories within a distorted context. Her figures, who rarely meet the viewer's eyes, gaze apathetically into the distance as if lost in these memories. Areas where layers of paint are wiped away and become less articulated contrast against sharper brushstrokes, denoting a hyper-fixation on areas of the body, pulling the viewer's focus to each fold or crease.
Check out Frances’ work below!
