As an abstract painter, I’m quite picky when it comes to figurative works. I’m really drawn to loose styles of figuration, whether it’s the joyously primitive paintings of Rose Wylie, the free flowing lines of Tracey Emin, or the swirling gestures of Cecily Brown. I’m drawn, I suppose, to what people call abstract figuration.
That looseness is also what caught my attention in the work of Kim Booker, a British artist whose paintings aren’t weighed down by their figures. Her expressive mark-making plunges the female figures into a cloud of chaos, as if lost in a confusing world that she’s attempting to make sense of. For me, it’s the ambiguity that keeps me on my toes as a viewer, keeps me noticing new things, with her frenzied marks offering a feast for the eyes.
I felt there was something soulful behind her painterly works, with themes of loneliness and isolation creeping into the frame. I reached out to Kim, who’s currently based in London, to learn more about her practice.
