‘An important and ambitious work, I found it incredibly moving, brave and honest’, Eileen Cooper OBE RA, artist and former Keeper of the Royal Academy
Domesticity: In Turmoil tells the true story of Naomi Alexander ROI’s abusive relationship with her late husband, Leo. A Holocaust survivor and immigrant from Russia, Leo represented adventure and excitement, tantalising Naomi with his wild tales and bravery. However, those same aspects of Leo’s personality were also symptomatic of trauma, which over time came to be expressed through a need of control and, ultimately, abuse.
Designed to raise awareness of domestic violence, the project highlights the characteristic signs of abuse, as well as the powerful techniques that eventually saved Naomi. Many of her coping mechanisms were rooted in art, which became a physical and emotional manifestation of the freedom which she craved, and an expression of the thoughts she was too afraid to articulate.
Much of the story is told through iPad drawings, which seduced Naomi through the intense vibrancy of the colours on the screen, and the freedom provided by the flexibility in creating such works. As such, her drawings are characterised by a lighthearted spontaneity and a dynamism that she could not resist.
There is a seriousness denoted by the accompanying oils, reinforcing the importance of the topic. The process of glaze on glaze, irresistible to Naomi, plays on the subtleties of the layers to donate a rich depth to the story.
A Chicken Full of Jewels, a book melding Naomi’s art with her heart rending story, will be her first visual narrative. For further information on Naomi and her work, please see https://www.
Exhibition text and artwork labels edited by Alexandra Abrams.
