Ricochets

 “ I often feel the object in the studio looking back at, or relating back to me. When a piece seems to ‘hold their own’- that is, when the object assumes qualities of a subject- an agency to relate to- I find the work to be resolved at a basic level. The artist human, an inherently divided consciousness, that in turn is in relation to others and to common reality, evidently externalises a part of themselves in the work- to then enter into dialogue with this part and offer it to others. I find whatever part of me that drives the art seems to always be ahead of the other part. "

For Sculpture2052, Dimitriou will make a site specific installation inspired by her research into Aloïse Corbaz (1886-1964), one of Dubuffet’s outsider artists. Corbaz constructed an elaborate concept around herself and her practice- this consisted of an inner universe illuminated by a sun that would send reflections or ‘ricochets’ of colour into common reality, manifested as her drawings. She herself was a scribe, or a channel, objectively noting down the images that came to her. Through and with Corbaz, Dimitriou explores ideas around the psyche that were developed and put to practice during this period (indeed, Corbaz’s work was known to doctors throughout Switzerland as examples of ‘schizophrenic art’ well before she was ‘discovered’ by Dubuffet). Using locally sourced materials combined with painting and premade objects, Dimitriou invites the audience to witness the building of a small universe of ‘ricochets’ and a conversation about the divided self within the gallery space.

Dimitriou deals with issues of the divided self, the ‘real’ and being ‘in the world’ through a practice that blends and bounces between painting and sculpture. Existing themes and material characters within Dimitriou’s practice include: combining trompe l’oeil effects with ‘real’ elements, constructing paintings that resist a ‘full view’ or that in different ways attempt to question the viewer’s sense of self (narcissistic perceptual authority), and paintings that intermingle, reflect or extend ‘reality’ by use of reflective and translucent surfaces/materials, curved planes and sculptural elements.

Gustavo Fares proposed, building on the famous essay ‘Sculpture in the Expanded Field’ by Rosalind Krauss, that the most pure and narrow definition of painting can be attributed to its lack of movement and lack of 3-dimensionality. As there is nothing truly 2-dimensional or immobile that exists in the world, by this definition one can conclude that pure painting does not exist. The ‘push and pull’ of painting/image versus ‘reality’, the paradox in painting of always being both abstract and representative (of itself if nothing else), of being at once a surface and a perceptual window- are some of the aspects of painting that Dimitriou employs to mirror paradoxes in the self and in philosophy. 

Linnéa Therese Dimitriou is an artist based in north Scandinavia whose practice spans painting, sculpture and design. After graduating from Glasgow School of Art in 2004 she made her mark in the wider creative field of visual culture holding a number of creative director, academic and design roles, in the UK and Sweden. Since returning to full time art practice in 2020 she has completed five solo exhibitions and her work has been included in several museum and gallery exhibitions and been acquired by public collections. In 2022 she completed a large group of public sculptures in the city of Umeå, work made in collaboration with local 5 and 6 year olds. The brightly coloured sculptures dominate the park visually and encourage climbing and physical play. Ricochets is the artists’ first exhibition in Singapore. 

www.linneatherese.com