La Cage, Ici! 2016

Sandra Chevrier made this painting, La Cage, Ici!, by collaging comic book pages with painted elements. The effect is a kind of beautiful, fractured portrait. I can imagine Chevrier in her studio, carefully selecting each fragment, piecing them together like a puzzle, and then bringing the image to life with her brush. I love how the intense gaze of the eyes meets the bright, graphic energy of the comic book imagery. What does she want us to see? There’s a tension here between strength and vulnerability, between the fantasy world of superheroes and the raw emotion in those eyes. It reminds me a little of the way Wangechi Mutu layers images and materials to explore themes of identity and representation. Artists are always in conversation. They pick up on each other’s cues, remixing ideas, and pushing boundaries. This painting feels like a powerful statement about the complexities of being human, with all our contradictions and hidden depths laid bare.