Kerstin Lichtblau (DE)
Text written by GHA
In her screen prints, Lichtblau explores the intersections between female empowerment and playfulness through striking, vibrant portraits.
Her distinctive style is characterised by exaggerated, disproportionately large eyes that demand a direct response from the viewer while inviting reflections on girlhood and societal expectations of women. Lichtblau’s caricaturistic, figurative style is characterised by bold, thick lines and high-contrast depictions. Often set against minimalist white backgrounds, her work oscillates between monochrome schemes and vivid colour transitions. A key aspect of her works is the depiction of eyes, which can be either playful or disturbingly provocative. This contrast lends her otherwise whimsical works a serious undertone.
The intense gaze of her figures encourages the viewer to look behind the playful surface. Lichtblau sometimes endows her figures with animal-like features that relate to being a girl, such as chicken-like body shapes that reference the loaded term ‘chick’, or even cat-like whiskers. These elements ironise how femininity is often defined in general. Sometimes her screen prints contain short, pithy phrases that boldly challenge sexist stereotypes and ideologies.
Lichtblaus uses a simple visual language to visualise complex themes such as gender identity and questions social norms and feminism.
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