Recent paintings by artist Martine Johanna (previously featured here). While Martine’s work has always tended toward autobiography, her latest series goes beyond the inner worlds and roles of women within a patriarchal culture to touch on what drives her personally. As she describes:

“After the loss of my mother, I started questioning my motivation… Who do you become when the people that you seek validation from suddenly disappear? I had to find the right motivation within myself, deliver my own affirmation. I had to leave regret and sorrow behind me.”

Never ceasing to engage colourfully with aspects of female beauty and adolescence, with “Dark Matter” we see Martine delving just as freely into the slightly darker or more unpleasant aspects of herself and her experiences. See more images below or on display at KochxBos Gallery in Amsterdam until June 23.