Expressions of Identity

Sandrine Ronvaux’s work is expressive; it expresses her character, her personality, her interests, ultimately it is part of her identity as a person. The subject of identity is the focus of Ronvaux’s latest series of works presented in this exhibition.

Identity is who we are, what defines us as individuals and collectively, as a society. How much should we bare this identity? How much of it is from the collective and how much is from the individual? Art mostly is assumed as a practice where the individual reigns supreme, the myth of the isolated artist working obsessively, is still present. However, this is in most cases far from the truth, or else art would not reflect the times when it was made, which invariably it does. The artist is a filter, which acts on societies’ current thoughts and preoccupations creating symbols.

The symbolic element in this body of work is the fingerprint, which until recently could be considered the main symbol of one’s identity. Some identity cards displayed one’s fingerprint, for instance the Portuguese one. Ronvaux “sourced” these fingerprints from a group of theatre actors, people who are used to creating and representing new identities. But, at the same time people who are at ease with being under public scrutiny. This leads to a two-pronged argument, on the one hand how identity is expressed and perceived and on the other how to keep one’s identity secure but open at the same time. Or even how to preserve it as everything apparently blends and looses its current form due to seemingly ever-increasing change.

How all this interconnects; identity, communication, observation and privacy is the focus of the works presented in this exhibition. Works made with strong colours, but also with thin drawn lines, possibly indicating a bold and vivid personality but a fragile one at the same time?

Martim Brion, Berlin, 2019

Curator