Tristan des Limbes: Drawings from a dark place

After having brought a very elaborate documentation of the street art side of artist Tristan des Limbes some time ago, it seems about time to also bring her “off the street” paper drawings into focus. Tristan is first of all a highly skilled at drawing, and her “off the street” art resembles what she does on the street very much. The most significant difference is simply that her paper drawings are more detailed and less stylized than her paste-ups, that is presented with slogan-like texts to aid and frame interpretation. Tristans work, it seems, is driven by very intimate autobiographical themes – a pure speculation since I don’t know her, but many of her self destructive, disturbed and distorted figures seems to bear a quite some resemblance to herself. Her stroke is light and subtle, giving her work a delicate and fragile feel. A feel that is emphasized by the looks of the skinny and wide-eyed androgynous young persons that are the focus of her drawings. When brought together with the inherent themes of desparation and self-violence in her work, these aspects enhance the unnerving and unsettling feel that you get from her artwork.

The pictures are from her facebook page, and you can follow her work progressing there.