Charcoal and graphite (held with a stick) on paper.
Each 59,4×84,1cm, 2018.

The figure of Mary Magdalene has fascinated me for as long as I can remember. At times pious and weeping, at times debauched, then repentant, and humble, and at times vain, she is above all the timeless receptacle of male desire and its reflection in the vast majority of her representations.

I have tried to reclaim this mythological figure, an integral part of our heritage and education, which has contributed to shaping the perception of femininity in countries with a Catholic tradition. However, the model is a trap: while some drawings are indeed inspired by representations of Mary Magdalene in art history, others are based on glamour photographs or pornographic images. These various perspectives on women under the ‘male gaze’ aim to blur the feminine image created from the perspective of male desire, both past and present. This project invites one to break free from this desirable version of femininity, to liberate oneself from the constraints of seduction, and to exist solely for oneself.

In this context, charcoal is used at the end of a wooden stick to physically distance myself from the drawing and from a representation of the character and, more generally, of women, with which I do not agree.