D emonstrating, in tangible form, how individuals create and reinforce their own reality through the activity of interpreta­tion, Anja Schüssler’s enigmatic images are like mirrors, subtly and exactly responsive to the mind-set of the viewer. Encourag­ing each individual to “experience his own fear, become aware of his own desire” and “find his own truth” in her paintings—as well as in the world at large—Schüssler implicitly guides her audi­ence to examine responses to her art in light of their own interior realities and outward projections. Like Narcissus enraptured by his own reflection, the viewer is confronted by an emotionally compelling yet insoluble visual riddle, as in The Arrival. Here, a faceless female figure in bestial pose, uncannily reminiscent of William Blake’s Nebuchadnezzar, seeps inexplicable blackness from her face and palms.
What one sees in this intentional void might well be the true ‘mirror image’ of the self, a projection of one’s own fantasy or shadow. Through the juxtaposition of soft colors, and strong, inky contour lines, Schüssler highlights the binary nature of ordinary consciousness and the duality of existence. Casting models as no less than archetypal forces, she attempts to reconcile the rational and intuitive, the seen and the unseen, the sacred and profane— through mythic representations of human paradox and contradic­tion. Like medieval scribes who believed that gazing into a mirror
The Arrival Chalk and Graphite on Paper 19.5”x 27.5”
as they wrote would ensure “that their sight may not be dimmed,” German artist, Anja Schüssler, uses the mirror of her own percep­tion to alight dim corridors of consciousness where truths may be obscured but exist nonetheless. Visionary artist and skilled engraver of hand-carved cameos, Anja Schüssler currently lives and works in Idar-Oberstein, Germany, famous for it’s design and manufacturing of precious stones and jewelry. Website: http://www.as-artwork.de
MOHAMMED YASIN SADDIQUE
F or a self-taught painter of just 30 years of age, Mohammed Yasin Saddique has generated an impressive body of artwork that includes portraits, nudes, landscapes, and cityscapes. Most of Saddique’s portraits are colorful, playful interpretations that often invoke the cubist tradition. Bold black boundary markers demarcate both sections of his painting and sections of his sub­jects, which suggest both depth and texture. His subjects emerge from the canvas as colorful patchwork quilts or paper maché composites.
Saddique’s portraits are arguably his most evocative works. To the sides of his subject’s head, Saddique will often include cross-sections of his model’s profile. Here, Saddique experiments with anthropomorphic shapes. Some viewers, for example, might discern an elephant’s face and trunk flanking Nadia’s face in his portrait of the same name. Interestingly—perhaps even telling-ly—Saddique’s own portrait and that of his wife are strikingly different than his other portraits. The former are virtually black-and-white compositions. The faces of Saddique and his wife resemble white mannequin heads faintly tinged by yellows and reds. They are as works in progress or model faces to be molded sometime later into something new.
Saddique’s works can be found in private collections in various European countries, the United States, England, India, and Paki­stan. Saddique lives and works in London and Pakistan. Website: http://www.eyeoftheart.com
Head of Naz Pastel on Paper 15”x 11”