Anneke Coster b. 1950
This work was first exhibited in the exhibition 'Schmatte Couture', curated by artist Sarah Lightman for Ben Uri at the Rivington Gallery in London's East End in 2008. The artist's accompanying text, printed in the exhibition notes, resembles a prose-poem: 'the chair / a figuration / of obligatory undressing / of arbitrary discarding / the outer layer / of vulnerably remaining / separately / the chair / a portrait / of empty strength / of lonely courage / the tangible reality / the structure and stability / constantly.'
Painted on aluminium, the finished piece, with its various colourways, is at first glance reminiscent of an Andy Warhol screenprint, however, upon closer inspection the separate but related vignettes display subtle, yet definite changes that repay attention and tie in closely with the existential anxieties implied by the artist's text.