La Cage, Mourir de Rire 2020

Sandra Chevrier’s ‘La Cage, Mourir de Rire’ is made up of paper collage and watercolour, and it’s kind of like a superhero version of Cubism. The figure’s face, built from the intense details of comic book fragments, is a real showcase for the act of layering, both visually and conceptually. I love the way the superhero action scenes meet the delicate rendering of the woman’s features. The eyes, with their pleading but steely gaze, draw you in amidst the chaos. The planes of colour, applied with thin washes of watercolour, feel almost like a mask, or perhaps a cage, constructed from these ripped fragments. Look closely at the top left and you can see the bright colours of the comic panels start to bleed into the skin around her eyes. It’s this balance of hard-edged collage and fluid paint that gives the piece its emotional punch. Think of someone like Hannah Höch, another artist who used collage to explore female identity, but Chevrier brings her own contemporary twist. Ultimately, this piece captures the complex, multi-layered experience of being a woman in today's world.