This work is part of Isabelle de Kleine’s solo exhibition World Was on Fire.

Says Isabelle of her work: “The bloodstone pigment, otherwise known as heliotrope, is used throughout this work to create a highly granular and textural depiction of a figure in motion. A digital negative technique shown in the green aspects splits the figure, exposing an alternative image of the face to communicate the multifaceted nature of identity and narrative.

“My body of work comprises a series of mixed media watercolour paintings that explore the complexities, struggles and richness of human experience. The works speak of the dualities of love and loss, light and dark, the web of experience that weaves together the beautiful and flawed tapestry of ourselves.

“The figures depicted are envoys of my contemplations on identity and the psyche. When realisation comes that our reality is fabrication, when we understand the fallibility of ourselves and the falsities we have created; what remains? Who do we become? The works depict the liminal space that we occupy when we are left in loss, and the reconstruction of self that occurs in the wake of grief.”