Birthing

Historical pigments (cinnabar, minium, saffron, red ochre) in egg tempera and silk thread on paper. ø 56 cm.

Something between an image and a feeling, but less tangible than either, pushes through its way into my consciousness. I then endeavour to translate it materially, without losing that original signature of which the only record is a sensation.

There is something self-referential about this image, describing the very process by which it came into being. Where previously there was Nothing, Something is suddenly there, striving to come into existence, pulsating with irresistible life force that will destroy what doesn’t make way. The vesica shape is the intersection of two circles, two worlds, through which something can be born.

The caterpillar binding stitch is a solid boundary that does much to convey the impression of a passage opening in the paper. Though beautiful, it is uncomfortable, evoking stitches on a wound.

More info & photos: https://majnouna.com/portfolio/birthing/