Somaya Critchlow: Out of Darkness
The British artist talks to VAULT about her first major exhibition since the Covid-19 pandemic, and the diverse references that informed its development.
Image credit: Somaya Critchlow, Bedstead (Asymmetry) (diptych), 2022, oil on linen, 92 x 68.5 cm (each). Courtesy the artist and Maximillian William, London © Somaya Critchlow
Somaya, can you talk about making your new exhibition, Afternoon’s Darkness, and the influences on this body of work?
I went away to Cornwall on a residency for three months. I had a studio on the beach and it was really atmospheric. After being in London, which was quite a heavy environment during Covid and after, it wasn’t until going to Cornwall this spring that I felt like I had a quiet space to sit with my work. It was a strange, somber time, quite a lot of grief and mourning. The war in Ukraine had just started before I left. Europe hasn’t had a war in almost a hundred years. I had been painting on and off, but had not been fully immersed in it, so I entered the process by looking at Goya’s The Disasters of War (1820–20) series. It provided a counterbalance to what I felt was going on in the world,
and I wanted to reflect that in my work.
Also, David Lynch’s Blue Velvet (1986) is a film that’s been on my mind, and I’ve referred to many times. I like how Lynch came to make that film after seeing a woman running past him naked on the street, and not really knowing her backstory. The small painting Afternoon’s Darkness (Agnes) (2022) is a direct reference to Blue Velvet, and the character played by Isabella Rossellini.
You mentioned The Disasters of War, which are very heavy. Had you looked at those previously? Or was it just timely?
I’ve always looked at them from quite a young age, and at times they could send ...Subscribe to read this article in full
