Eurydice n. 5 1994

Bracha Ettinger’s “Eurydice n. 5” seems to have been made with mixed media on paper. The way the images are layered suggests she’s thinking about painting as a process of revealing and concealing. Look at the way the faces emerge from the ground, like ghosts in a dream. The images feel faded and fragmented. Maybe she is using thin washes of paint, or perhaps it’s a transfer process, but it allows the ground to breathe through. The violet bar at the bottom feels more solid and present; like a horizon line but also a kind of barrier. It contains the emotion, while at the same time offering a space of contemplation. This piece reminds me of the work of Louise Bourgeois, particularly her drawings and prints. Both artists share an interest in exploring themes of memory, trauma, and the complexities of human relationships, but through the lens of the body. It invites us to embrace uncertainty and the fluidity of meaning.