Farah Atassi
b. 1981, Belgium
"First of all, it is important to say that Farah Atassi unabashedly embraces her profound knowledge of and admiration for moderniste painting, from Pablo Picasso and Fernand Léger to Georges Braque. As Atassi says ‘ the references and allusions in my paintings are not hints for the educated observer : they are formal propositions that need to be understood in their claim of universality ‘. Her subjects have now been distilled into the genres and classic stereotypes of the history of painting : these are mostly still lifes and feminine models - never men - who pose seated on rocking chairs, inside a studio or, as the artist indicates, ‘ on set ‘, that is to say inside an action that is certainly minimal yet scripted. The tiles of her paintings give an indication of her methodical exploration of these stereotypes : Woman in Profile, Seated Nude, Model In Studio, Still Life With Palette and Roses.
Thus articulated, her painting leaves a little room for wordiness, favoring a form of permanence over the literal expression of the Zeitgeist and his vicissitudes.
Confronted with its own history, the question of the subject quickly vanished in favor of the exploration of the possibilities offered by a history of forms that obviously is necessary unfinished."
— Eric Troncy