Passionate instincts no. 8

In Passionate Instincts no. 8, a chimera emerges from the thick, expressive brushstrokes. Chimeras, drawn from classical mythology, are a hybrid animal sometimes used to represent human emotions. These creatures often appear in Alexis Hunter’s Passionate Instincts series as metaphors for female independence and power.

Hunter was a New Zealand-born artist celebrated for her early contributions to feminist art. She was purposefully provocative, uniting feminist politics with tongue-in-cheek humour. Although best-known for her photo-narratives from the mid-1970s to early 1980s, she later turned to painting.

Other creatures emerge from the painting the longer you look: two squirrel-like animals appear to play with one another to the left of the central chimera, and two bird creatures occupy the bottom area of the painting. Hunter’s use of creatures explored the female subconscious, particularly ideas of inner passion, sexuality and freedom.

- Rata Holtslag, 2018