Q: On the topic of night and day you once said that “it was a subject I was working with a lot at that time, when I felt that the night still had something of daylight, while during the day I could see shadows that belonged to the night.” We can still see that theme in your most recent paintings. What is it that interests you today about that investigation?
A: I had many of these ideas, like the diptychs, in mind for a long time beforehand. Then I tackled them head-on, trying to work out and get to the bottom of them. But even after the work was completed, there would still be something left. I’m not a person who takes big leaps, instead one thing leads to another. In this case, light and shadow are fundamental elements of painting. You can’t overlook them.
Q: You often use soft atmospheric brushwork to capture light-based ambiences as well as fleeting thoughts and memories, that are rendered tenuous. You have alternated periods of greater intensity in colour and deep tones with moments focused more on a quest for softness and nuanced light. What are you working on right now?
A: I’m currently working on paintings on Lokta paper, a handmade paper from Nepal with a wonderful texture that feels almost like fabric.
Q: We are seeing more and more efforts to reduce the gender gap in the art world, to recover and create female role models that convey a more plural vision? Who inspired you when you started out? Were there any women among them?
A: I believe that, like in so many other fields, the growing presence of woman is clearly irreversible. When I started there were very few women from previous generations. In my own generation there were more of us. And now there are huge numbers. It’s not something that I focused on as part of my work. I focused on my own practice, in my studio, because I always believed that a job well done is the best legacy you can leave.
Image: courtesy of the artist