gatekeepers | natacha donzé

Using an airbrush in her large-sized paintings Natacha Donzé creates multi-layered works in her series Gatekeeper I–IV in which different textures atmospherically overlie each other. Bright specks seem to free themselves from the dark canvases and rise up. This generates an effect of depth in which foreground and background cannot be clearly defined. Marks of running drops of water are layered onto the whole canvas and are perceived as a would-be patina that evokes the appearance of oxidized copper, lending the images a sculptural quality.

The surface of Natacha Donzé’s round canvas Spinning eye, monument with its layered shades of blue color developes a strong pull and at the same time a cool cosmic atmosphere. From the centre outward spiral circles move to the edge of the piece and seem to gather there like bubbles, unable to escape. Donzé uses the spiral as a symbol of belief systems and unfathomable phenomena. The layering of various hues of blue gives the impression of expanse and depth, creating a boundless space in the centre. 

The round painting Spinning eye, excavation develops a hypnotic effect with its deep shades of blue. This is augmented by the hazy contours of the depicted grid. By using spray paint and applying numerous coats, the artist creates the illusion of a vibrating image thus lending a transient component, counterbalancing the strict geometric forms with the semblance of aerial atmosphere. Depth and space behind the grid is suggested with the use of lambent flames that seem to disperse into smoke on the image's surface. This space remains inaccessible for the beholder and it is unclear if the structure was created as a protective boundary. The impression that other elements remain underneath is augmented by the layering of coats that in a certain lighting reveals spiralling circles pushing up through the paint. In this way Donzé is able to convey a temporality that is inscribed in the painting and that – apart from the cosmic blue – is also expressed by the effect of transient atmosphere.

In Spinning eye, excavation Donzé uses architectural features that have confining qualities and act as physical or social barriers. At the same time her paintings make it possible to mentally experience other realities, thus themselves becoming portals.

Repository, polarization sets a process of image recognition in motion, because the motifs seem familiar on the one hand but on the other cannot be exactly attributed. Donzé is interested in the disconnect between real motifs through abstraction: this in a first step takes place through technology and subsequently through the hand of the artist. Layering during the painting process, specially selected colors, flowing textures and cuttings of images help the pieces to develop mystical and digital elements at the same time.