Referring to psychoanalyst Didier Anzieu and his theory of the
mothering environment, skin has a metaphoric role in psychic development. According to Anzieu, skin has the purposes of
containment, protection, and communication.
During the child's oral stage, the "attachment drive" is fulfilled by
relying on the mother's skin. If this drive is fulfilled, the skin's purpose
will be internalised by the child after the separation. However, this
process can be disturbed by each distancing moment triggering
anxiety that may not be overcome.
A series of performative screenprints on skin comprise an autobiographical work that explores themes of loss, attachment,
and a questioning of the mothering figure and its archetype.
Prints depicting an ultrasound of an ovarian cyst mock the maternal
role in the aspect of "giving" and "gifting" and the inability to do so.
IS THIS WHAT WE WANTED? encourages ambiguity, allowing a wide range of possibilities to perceive the work.