Raphaela Simon

Raphaela Simon is known for her painting, marked by simple, indistinct forms set against monochromatic backgrounds. She employs a multi-stage process, diligently overpainting and altering elements to create a palimpsestic effect. This approach allows colors to shimmer through various layers, enhancing the composition’s subtleties. Often reminiscent of portraiture, her works’ titles reference ordinary objects and motifs, suggesting a hidden figurative potential and engaging the viewer's propensity to assign meaning to abstract forms. Since 2018, Simon has broadened her artistic scope to include the fabrication of intricate fabric objects and figures. Witnessed together, these sculptural entities posit their own stories, whilst simultaneously echoing the tonality of the works on canvas. Simon deftly traverses the fragile boundary between representational and pure abstraction. The layering of oil on her canvases is incredibly important, as it provides these surfaces with a solid, tangible presence. This method, combined with the unruled edges of her abundant stripes, infuses her creations with life and vibrancy, allowing them to resonate as living forms of abstraction with the viewers.