Single Cuts 72 2016

Katrien De Blauwer made Single Cuts 72 from cut and pasted photographs, probably around now. The way she combines images here is very painterly, the way the monochrome tones interact, and the textures of the different papers combine to create something sculptural. There’s a real layering of surfaces, both in the images and the material of the work itself. The slightly torn edges and the way the paper darkens, it makes me think about how our memories fade and change over time. And then this single eyebrow, cut off from any clear context – it's like a fragment of a dream. It reminds me a little of some of John Baldessari’s early photo-text works, the way he uses found images and simple juxtapositions to create new meanings. Ultimately, it's a piece that invites you to bring your own associations and experiences to it, to complete the story that De Blauwer has only partially revealed.