"Cabinet of Miniatures and Delight" (2022-2023)
Carbon fibre, carbon-aramid fibre, acrylic on canvas, wood veneer
The starting point of Perkof’s expression lies in figural painting, in which strong reductiveness, lapidary forms, bright pastel colors and an emphasis on material experimentation are applied. Over time her practice has naturally expanded into the creation of objects, the field of photography, site-specific installation, graphic design, theatre design and realizations in architecture.
"Cabinet of Miniatures and Delight" presents a playful reflection and introspective exploration of female sexuality and its connection to nature. In a series of new large-scale carbon fibre canvases combined with house plants, the artist employs symbolic archetypes of sexuality as part of an intimate inner dialog that reflects upon how changing gender tropes impact the on-going balancing act between sexuality and physicality, and the role of instinct, intuition, nurturing and creativity in the female psyche. In Perkof’s work, notions of soil and the earthiness of the body depart from psychoanalysis by subtly introducing racialised notions of Black sexuality. Questioning her belonging and the subjectivity of her diasporic Afro-Czech experience evokes how questions of (in)visibility are staged through the notion of pleasure.
/ Photo credit: Kristīne Madjare / Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art