Shangaï 2006

Monique Orsini made "Shangaï" using what looks like thin washes of oil paint, creating these soft, almost watercolour-like effects. It’s a great example of how process can be a real partner in art-making. The texture here is fascinating, especially how Orsini plays with transparency. The violet brushstrokes, they almost feel like petals caught in motion, overlapping and blending just enough to suggest form, but never quite resolving. See how the colour pools and thins, creating depth and shadow? It's like she's painting with light itself. Then there are these folds that looks like origami, adding structure. It reminds me a bit of Helen Frankenthaler’s soak-stain paintings, where the canvas becomes a ground for experimentation, pushing the boundaries of what paint can do. Ultimately, “Shangaï” invites us to slow down, to embrace the ambiguity, and to find our own narratives within its delicate layers.