MARLENE DUMAS: THE IMAGE AS BURDEN │ Tate Modern, London → 10 May 2015

Helena’s Dream 2008 © Marlene Dumas Photo: Peter Cox

Magdalena 1 1996 Ink on paper image: 1250 x 700 mm

Amy – Blue 2011 National Portrait Gallery, London © Marlene Dumas Photo: Peter Cox

The Image as Burden 1993 Private collection © Marlene Dumas

Evil is Banal 1984 Collection Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, The Netherlands © Marlene Dumas Photo credit: Peter Cox, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

The Widow 2013 Private Collection © Marlene Dumas

Magdalena 2 1996 Ink on paper image: 1250 x 700 mm Purchased 1996 Marlene Dumas

Mamma Roma 2012 Private Collection © Marlene Dumas

The Painter, 1994. Photograph: The Museum of Modern Art, New York © Marlene Dumas

Dead Girl, 2002. Photograph: Los Angeles County Museum of Art © Marlene Dumas

“Mālen Dūmā z wn v ɖ most prominnt pêntrz wrcñ tde. Hr intns, sîc̣lojicli čājd wrcs xplor ʈīmz v seẋuaḷti, luv, deʈ n šem, ofn refṛnsñ arthistri, popylr culčr n cuṛnt aferz.

Secndhand imijz, š hz sd, cn jeṇret frsthand imošnz. Dūmā nvr pênts drctli fṛm lîf, yt lîf in ol its cmplx̣ti z rît ɖr on ɖ canvs. Hr subjcts r drwn fṛm bʈ public n prsnl refṛnsz n includ hr dwtr n hrslf, az wel az recgnîẓbl fêsz sč az Êmi Wînhâs, Neymi Cambl, Prinses Dîana, īvn Osama bin Lādn. Ɖ rzults r ofn intiṃt n at tîmz contṛvršl, ẇr poḷtcs bcm irotc n pwtrits bcm ṗlitcl. Š plez wɖ ɖ imajinešn v hr vywrz, ɖer prīcnspšnz n firz.

Born in 1953 in Cêptân, Sâʈ Africa, Dūmā muvd t ɖ Neɖrḷndz in 1976, ẇr š cem t prominns in ɖ mid-1980z. Ɖs lj-scêl srve z ɖ most significnt xibišn v hr wrc evr t b held in Yṛp, čātñ hr c̣rir fṛm ŕli wrcs, ʈru seminl pêntñz t ny wrcs on pêpr.

Ɖ tîtl v ɖ xibišn z têcn fṛm Ɖ Imij az Brdn 1993, a sml pêntñ dpictñ wn figr cariyñ anɖr. Az wɖ mni v Dūmā’z wrcs, hr čýs v tîtl dīpli afcts âr intrpṛtešn v ɖ wrc. It hints at ɖ sens v rsponṣbiḷti fêst bî ɖ artist in čuzñ t criet an imij ɖt cn trnzlet îdiyz abt pêntñ n ɖ pzišn v ɖ artist. Fr Dūmā it z impwtnt t gv mr atnšn t ẇt ɖ pêntñ dz t ɖ imij, nt onli t ẇt ɖ imij dz t ɖ pêntñ.

In an êj dominetd bî ɖ dijitl imij n masmīdia, Dūmā čerišz ɖ fizicaḷti v ɖ hymn tuč, wɖ wrc ɖt z a tesṭmnt t ɖ mīnñ n pôtnsi v pêntñ.”

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