CathEssays

Lily Wong’s Translation explores the layers of identity and self-perception through symbolic objects and bold color contrasts. A face held in the hand, an unpeeled onion, and a knife evoke the complexity and tension of self-definition in a culturally fragmented world.

Kristina Schuldt’s Kesselbruch explores the fractured body under industrial pressure. Drawing from Cubism and Futurism, she redefines the female form through distortion, tension, and surreal color. A striking vision of modern identity and its breaking points.

Emma Stern’s Fawn is part creature, part code — a haunting meditation on synthetic beauty, digital identity, and what it means to be seen.

Koak’s Beholden offers a quiet yet profound meditation on emotional introspection, solitude, and inner complexity. With bold colors and symbolic detail, the painting captures a moment of stillness heavy with reflection. Catherine Gipton delves into its psychological depth in this ninth CathEssay.

In Prom Night Reckoning, Robin F. Williams dismantles the fantasy of the prom queen with dazzling colors and raw emotion. A tiara becomes a burden, a rose a symbol of pressure. Through vibrant textures and piercing symbolism, the painting reveals the quiet panic behind performative perfection — and invites us to reconsider what we call “the perfect moment.”

Emma Webster’s Blake is a visionary painting where organic shapes explode into a surreal forest dreamscape. Glowing forms, dynamic movement, and mythic overtones transform a natural scene into something radiant and strange. Through layered oil painting, Webster invites us to experience nature not as it is, but as it might become — alive with energy, tension, and unseen forces.

Bridget Mullen’s Border’s Buckle explores transformation, instability, and the dissolution of form. Blurring the lines between figure and abstraction, the work pulses with motion and emotion. Through layered textures and symbolic tension, Mullen invites us into a liminal space — where identity shifts, boundaries buckle, and new meanings emerge.

Hyegyeong Choi’s Prickly Women is a vivid celebration of femininity, strength, and interconnectedness with nature. Through electrifying color and bold forms, the painting blurs the boundary between body and landscape, inviting viewers to embrace the complexity of identity and the radiant vitality of life.

Dannielle Hodson’s Knot is a vivid and entangled vision of human coexistence. Figures twist, collide, and dissolve into a chaotic yet strangely harmonious composition that explores the tension between disorder, identity, and emotional connection.

In Pane (2023), Tschabalala Self constructs a bold portrait of fractured identity using fabric, paint, thread, and digitally printed linen. The work explores the layered nature of selfhood, perception, and visibility, inviting viewers to reflect on the textures—both literal and metaphorical—that shape how we see ourselves and others.

In It’s Called Show Business, Anna Park builds a hypnotic visual rhythm from duplicated legs and hidden gazes. This striking monochrome diptych explores the glamour and tension of performance, revealing what lies beneath the spotlight. A critical reflection on identity, spectacle, and the illusion of visibility in both entertainment and public life.

Rebecca Ness’s Heartbreak at Ginger’s: Re-emerging is a cinematic glimpse into collective life and queer resilience. Set in a Brooklyn bar, the painting pulses with emotion, connection, and layered micro-narratives. A celebration of everyday presence and quiet transformation, this is a portrait of what it means to return—together.