Behind the Scenes – Lucia Sidonio
In Behind the Scenes Lucia Sidonio encapsulates the innocent whimsical nature of childhood and the relationship between adult and child. These artworks were painted during a recent year in France, living and working in Montpellier as a teacher, where she sought to reconnect with her French heritage. Coming across family albums provided a fresh view on both her own childhood and the way the innocent lives of children are captured.
Cropping, reinterpreting and inventing images, she infuses her pieces with a new narrative. These are universal moments of reminiscence – jumping a fence, the anticipation of a gift, marveling at the adult world brimming with people, plants and animals. Sidonio asks the viewer to question their role in the painting as both child and adult, to construct the story within.
Presented with a warmth and sincerity these artworks also bring a sense of delight. The paint, worked into the surface, is textural and alive. Figures are formed and obscured in areas of vibrant, almost glowing, colour. Wearing bizarre hats and with abstracted features they become anonymous performers for us to project ourselves upon.
With considered compositional structure and brushwork Sidonio invites ambiguity into these private moments. There is always something hidden from view, cropped out, tucked away. Some mystery to explore or moment to unravel.
