The Tate Modern’s latest exhibition focuses on the work of Marlene Dumas from the mid-1970s to present. The first room is covered almost floor to ceiling in portraits, built mostly of slightly distorted faces. Much of her work seems to relate to the idea of what is considered acceptable to paint in modern culture, many of her paintings capture a similar essence of that of a psychological thriller and they each have their own chilling presence.
Her style varies across the different decades of her work. Most of it contains rough brush strokes and mixing media in experimental forms, while others are far more simplistic blends of colour. There is a lot general shapes and forms, complimented by a focus on a certain area of the body where a lot of the detail goes in.
There are sections where the pieces have an essence of political stance in them. Sections where a young girls body is censored out with large black streaks across the canvas, or where Dumas’ portrait of Bin Laden can be found surrounded by some of her more explicit works.
Overall there is an extreme level of skill that is clear in the exhibition, all forms of media on paper, canvas, board and practically anything else Dumas felt like experimenting with. It shows a range that not many artists can claim anymore. She is truly worthy of her spot in the Tate Modern, and it will surely make her work more recognizable to those outside of the art community.
by Anna Coughlan
Images Courtesy of the Tate Modern
Exhibition runs until May 10, 2015
Opening hours: 10:00 – 18:00, Sunday – Thursday
10:00 – 22:00, Friday – Saturday
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