art consultant, freelance writer, poet & curator
Nationale is pleased to announce the first solo exhibition of Portland-based artist Salomée Souag . In Fruit of My Past, Souag channels the Âme, or soul, as the spiritual link present in each of her works. She pulls from a deeply personal part of her selfhood as the site of all emotion and power, willing these paintings to both express a current state of healing and a future existence as totems to this act. At their core, these paintings stand as symbols for shedding shame, of a guttural erotic liberation,
In rebuilding avenues of trust, the softness of human connection is reflected in the neutral pastels employed on the canvases—browns, pinks, blues, and red tones evoke a return to the earth, a return to simplicity. The fluidity of lines and shapes mimic the natural curvature of place and body at times guiding the artist as she marks their presence. Alongside the canvas pieces are soft sculptural works interspersed in the main gallery. These textile variations on form and femininity regard the same difficult