Congratulations to Loribelle Spirovski for being awarded the 2021 Bluethumb Art Prize for the portrait of the artist’s husband, Simon Tedeschi titled Mirror into Mirror.
Simon featured frequently in a number of Loribelle’s portraits. This rendition was produced during Sydney’s lockdowns, while the title of the painting was inspired by Loribelle’s observation the image of Simon became ‘a mirror of her isolation’.
"Painted in the middle of lockdown, the subject of this portrait is my husband Simon, who was the only person I was able to interact with for many months. Added to our isolation, we were in the process of moving house and I found myself viewing him as a mirror of my own isolation. The title is taken from Avo Pärt's minimalist composition 'Spigel im Spiegel' , which translates into 'mirror into mirror'.
The piece is known for its long, sustained notes, sense of space and pathos. In Simon's expression, I wanted to capture a feeling of watching the world from afar. During the time of its creation, the world was going through a series of tragic events that exacerbated the feelings of helplessness that social isolation can bring about.
The painting is also a portrait of flesh and in mimicking the techniques of academic painters of the past, I wanted to mirror the jewel-like qualities that flesh can possess when viewed in real life, a response to my own inability to see my loved ones in the flesh." - Loribelle Spirovski, 2021
Loribelle’s works will be included in our forthcoming Lennox St Summer exhibition from the 11th until the 29th of January 2022. E-mail the gallery for further information about the artist.
