“Typically, when we discuss representation, we’re often focused on aesthetics: who we are seeing, what we are seeing and what it looks like, rather than perhaps a more introspective type of representation. My work doesn’t show my figure or the black figure; it doesn’t show women in that kind of figurative context; it doesn’t show spaces and scenes and landscapes. Those subjects are not present in any direct way. But integrating my practice within a larger context of abstract art and deviating from the ‘norm’ is in itself the manifestation of a different kind of artist, a different kind of figurative mould that the artist is meant to inhabit.”
—Michaela Yearwood-Dan
The striking hues and rhythmic forms which radiate from Michaela Yearwood-Dan’s Reasons invite viewers into her journey of self-determination through her use of almost total abstraction. The present work is exemplary of Yearwood-Dan’s turn away from figurative representation in favour of a style which bridges the gap between figuration and abstraction, and her command over composition, colour, and material. A black background is balanced against lively, impressionistic strokes in an eclectic yet cohesive range of pinks, blues and greens and painterly botanical forms which evoke the artist’s childhood surrounded by plants in her South London home. The composition unfolds in a circular motion which creates a lush and verdant vignette around a central point of darkness, drawing the viewer closer and inviting a contemplative pause. In Yearwood-Dan’s own words, her compositions emulate ‘grand frescoes and the Sistine Chapel and the movements of big skies and unearthly visions’,i to which the artist was exposed during her time at Catholic schools in her youth. Simultaneously, it reflects something much more intimate - a portal not to a supernatural world but to the artist’s emotional and psychological landscape, described by Yearwood-Dan as ‘diaristic, self-historicization of the emotions and feelings I’m going through’.ii This duality between the monumental and the personal imbues her works with a sense of scale and depth that mirrors the complexity of her explorations of identity and selfhood.
Yearwood-Dan’s mastery of texture is also evident in the present work, with thick impasto flower buds dispersed across the canvas, and the scratching away of paint to suggest texture and form creating a richly detailed composition which demands a slower and intentional way of viewing. The immersive habitats which Yearwood-Dan constructs entice the viewer into a painterly world that is familiar yet distinctly her own, with layers of texture and colour reflective of the complex and layered identity which she explores. Drawing on her heritage, upbringing and personal experiences, she considers her own sexuality, race, gender and relationships, avoiding the fixed interpretations of figurative representation. The dense and dynamic compositions express the layered complexities of the communities to which she belongs, underscoring the complexity of individual identity and reflecting her avoidance of any singular, reductive narrative or interpretation. This multiplicity is further reflected in the environments she constructs within her paintings. Playful but meditative, compositions such as Reasons invite the viewer to connect with Yearwood-Dan’s individual universe, unburdened by the mediation of formal symbolism.
The present work is an excellent example of Yearwood-Dan’s signature use of text in her paintings, which followed closely behind her move away from figurative representation. Etched into the thick impasto, Yearwood-Dan’s lyrical passages weave amongst the brushstrokes with intentionally varying degrees of legibility, drawing the viewer closer to discern their meaning. These derive from her own poetry, patois, text messages and song lyrics to create a diaristic tapestry which emphasises the personal nature of her work, and the varied aspects which form her identity. In Reasons, a passage of text in the upper centre of the composition reads ‘you’re my reason for getting out of bed each day. to me, from me’. Here, the viewer is provided a glimpse of Yearwood-Dan’s relationship with herself, and the importance she places upon this relationship in her work.
Other inscriptions in the present work are kept more private, trailing off into an illegible script which alludes to the subject matter without total vulnerability, highlighting Yearwood-Dan’s ability to construct an intimate yet controlled expression of self. The tactility of the script etched into the paint reminds the viewer of the physical presence of the artist, whilst still avoiding the inclusion of a figurative body which Yearwood-Dan fears would be interpreted at face value: ‘I’m not giving you any more body – more figurative body – to make comments on. Instead, I will hone my mind, my humour, and my intellect. People can take it or leave it. And people have been taking it, which is quite nice!’.iii
The present work is a key example of Yearwood-Dan’s move away from figurative work, crafting a language of abstraction which allows her to explore the nuances of lived experience, unbound by conventional visual tropes. In embracing abstraction, Yearwood-Dan suggests that identity itself is fluid and multifaceted, resisting static definitions. Reasons invites the viewer to look beyond the easily recognisable markers of identity to instead consider the interpretative possibilities of abstraction through a wealth of tone, texture and script which celebrate the various dynamic components of selfhood.
