She suck''d and suck''d and suck''d the more
Fruits which that unknown orchard bore;
She suck''d until her lips were sore;
extract from Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti
The Breeder presents Sofia Stevi's first solo show with the gallery, titled Lizzie & Laura.
For this new series of paintings, Sofia Stevi draws inspiration from the poem The Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti, the protagonists of which are two sisters, Lizzie and Laura, who also lend their names to the exhibition's title. At first glance, the poem seems like a parabole for being virtuous and the consequences that follow if one deviates. However, Rossetti's poem can be considered groundbreaking in how it portrays a woman's existence, always in comparison to the strict morals of the Victorian era. There are no direct references, but eroticism and an almost silent admittance of female sexuality and love is evident, even between the two sisters, while no man appears in the story.
Using this poem as a starting point, Stevi presents a narrative, which revolves around woman as a presence in a society full of taboos and conventions, emphasizing on her body and the erotic and sexual aspects that have been inextricably connected to it. Inspired by Japanese calligraphy, Stevi uses ink on untreated fabric, thus complimenting the unique artistic language she has created, which comprises mainly of appropriated symbols – here mainly parts of the female anatomy, transformed into an alphabet of their own. Through their repetitive use, these shapes eventually lose their initial meaning and become abstract figures, existing outside time and space, thus transferring the viewer to a dreamscape, a parallel universe where anything can happen. Through painting, Stevi explores the possibilities of art, how it can function as a communicator of feelings and thoughts, as well as her own place in society as an artist and as a woman who, like all of us, seeks her own truth.
