Six questions for Hadassah Emmerich

The artist Hadassah Emmerich, originally from Heerlen but now living and working in Brussels, explores recurring themes in her work such as the body and identity, the sensory and the sensual, the commercialization of the erotic and the exotic. In her exhibition Batik Moon Rising, Emmerich presents a new series of works that mark a turning point in her artistic practice. Her imagery has never been so distorted and full of dynamism, yet at the same time humorous and self-reflective, all while retaining her characteristic themes and the combination of warm and cool colors. Curator Cynthia Jordens spoke with her about this new exhibition, her work, and her approach.

Hadassah, at first glance, your new triptych Batik Moon Rising overwhelms with the exuberance of the motifs and the intensity of the colors. What did you depict, and why do these motifs fascinate you?
"I am fascinated by the question of how contemporary painting can relate to complex issues surrounding the ‘exotic’. In my work, I explore this through the depiction of the female body and nature, which are particularly suited to unravel ideas about the ‘exotic’. Recurring motifs in my work include body parts and tropical plants and flowers. In my triptych Batik Moon Rising, references to flowers and leaves of tropical plants, lips, tongues, and breast shapes can be recognized, as well as Indonesian batik patterns and fans. These works also represent a new phase, literally a new ‘twist’ in my work, as the motifs are fused in a kaleidoscopic and somewhat psychedelic manner. The title of the triptych is a nod to the hit *Bad Moon Rising* by the band Creedence Clearwater Revival from the ‘summer of love’ of 1969. At the same time, this work is perhaps so exuberant, dynamic, and colorful because it is a response to our current time, which has become so extreme."

Your love for Pop art and advertising is evident in your work. Is this also reflected in this series?
"In my work, I am interested in images that both aestheticize and problematize the female body; a game of attraction and repulsion. This is also evident in this series: the combined visual elements form colorful, eroticized ornaments that can both attract with their organic and sensual lines and alienate with their distortions. I create a constant interplay between cool and warm color variations, mechanically executed color fields alongside parts where a painterly gesture can be recognized. The game of attraction and repulsion takes place not only in what is depicted but also in how it is depicted."

Your work seems to critically express the gaze on the female body as well as the gaze on the exotic and the colonial past. At the same time, your work is empowering and seems to celebrate femininity and exoticism. Or is it an in-between area that you are exploring?
"In my work, I celebrate the power of the mixing of genders and cultures. This stems from my interest in creolization (the mixing of different cultures that then merge into one new culture, such as Surinamese or Caribbean culture). By blending and merging images and colors associated with male or female, Western or ‘exotic’, cross-pollination occurs, resulting in new, (fictional) hybrid species. Thus, the female body in my work appears fragmented, as parts of a possible new identity, fused with tropical plant forms, flowers, and fruits. My visual language often has an erotic appearance, but it is also a celebration of the ‘sensual gaze’ as a means to challenge conservative and regressive worldviews, especially regarding the position of women."

Your work can be described as sensual and exotic, but there also seems to be a dark edge to it. Can you tell us about the shadow side in your work?  
"I try to unravel the psychological weight behind power dynamics through painting. My work delves into power relations between different genders and feminism, as well as the power dynamics in the postcolonial era. There is also a downside to the desire to create works that are ‘larger than life.’ In creating something grand and monumental, there is simultaneously a fear of the insignificant, the mediocre, and the oppressive. Just as something that incites can also be swallowed, and in the pursuit of the ecstatic, exhaustion and depletion can lurk."

Repetition plays an important role in your work. Not only through the technique of stencils with which you repeat forms, but it also seems to contribute to the meaning of your work. How does the repetition of visual elements contribute to your exploration of themes such as physicality and identity, sensuality, and exoticism?  
"Since 2016, I have been working with a painting technique where I use stencils cut from floor vinyl to make ink prints on canvas, paper, or a wall. This printing technique and working with stencils is very suitable for pushing my handwriting to the background. It makes my painterly gesture more ‘mechanical’ and detached, and at the same time, the technique ‘forces’ me to stay within a certain visual language. But it remains a game, because next to the printed parts, my painterly gesture is indeed recognizable, for example in the depiction of fans and Indonesian batik motifs. By repeating images and motifs, I can execute a composition in different color schemes. I find it interesting to explore how the same image can evoke a different atmosphere in a different color combination. For instance, a composition in cool colors has a more reflective, detached impact, while the same work in warm colors might evoke thoughts of tropical places. I find it intriguing to test whether certain preferences are culturally determined, and how we are, consciously or unconsciously, conditioned to attribute certain meanings to something."

You consider yourself a painter, but also an 'expanded painter', a painter who is interested in pushing the boundaries of painting through painting. To what extent is this reflected in these works? And why do you enjoy creating works that are 'larger than life'?
"My triptych Batik Moon Rising is of large scale, with each piece measuring approximately 200 x 300 cm. The works are not presented in a traditional manner as paintings on a white wall but rather as a kind of 'billboards' on wooden supports in the daylight of the exhibition space. The paintings extend and continue rhythmically into the surrounding architecture through the prints on the windows, where you can recognize enlarged details of the works. The monumental scale of the works challenges me to make bold decisions during the creation process. It allows me to engage my entire body in the process, creating an immersive viewing experience for the audience."

The exhibition of Hadassah Emmerich will be on display at the Atrium of SCHUNCK starting from 15 September. A museum ticket is required.