Page 32 - WTP VOl. XII #1

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Riesing’s dyed paintings on stretched silk betray an infatuation with laborious detail
and rich material— especially in the hand-embroidered gold thread,
use of silk, or the exquisitely-rendered swirls
of patterned stocking, seemingly inspired by a northern Renaissance luxuriance. Her new series focuses on the body submerged in its surround- ings, intertwined or confused with the spaces it inhabits. Figures fight to emerge or purposefully camouflage themselves, sometimes embedded in whorls of wood grain or the lacy silk. Patterns and veils, some painted in dye and others care- fully stitched, form a mysterious plane. Riesing’s insistence on close croppings, and awkward, unsightly or uncomfortably erotic aspects of the body, reveal surreptitious squirming. The paint- ings are made with dye on either crepe de chine or raw silk, a surface both akin to skin and a symbol of delicacy, sensuality, and opulence.
Katarina riesinG