EAT YOUR HEART OUT

This body of work focuses on the often contradictory and complex nature of the human psyche that manifests in surreal depictions of the human form and anatomy. I view my practice as a means of exploring sensations, using psychoanalysis as a tool to reflect on human experience.

Core theoretical concepts revolve around the exploration of emotional sensation-seeking, psychological dialogue, and the paradoxical interplay between desire and disgust. This paradox presents a fascinating and complex interplay between two seemingly contradictory emotions. Eat Your Heart Out purposefully elicits both physical and cognitive feelings of desire and disgust to create a dialogue surrounding the psychological, social and cultural impacts of these emotions.

On the other side of the coin, my practice has strong roots in technique and detail. I have always had a deep interest in using realism to create surreal worlds that feel familiar to the viewer, yet simultaneously foreign. I use medical journals detailing internal anatomies and surgical videos as reference. Some days I feel more doctor than artist!

 

Studio desk with drawings in progress, 2023

 

Josie at work in her home studio, 2023

 

Work in progress, 2023
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Josephine Purtill