Alemania | Artista Multidisciplinar | Isabell Beyel

Revealed Illusions

At first glance, the images are obviously of female faces, however, upon closer inspection, a world of neatly arranged fragments tells us of a possible mirage where, suddenly, that image that we were looking at becomes an illusion.

Born in Mönchengladbach, Germany, Beyell studied law and human resources, until doing a complete 180-degree turn in 2003 and becoming a self-taught artist. Her first pieces were done in oil and acrylic, but today mixed-technique, along with collage and painting on plexiglass are what define her particular style and establish her as one of Germany’s most contemporary artists.

Although many texts define her as a realist and aesthete, it is better to highlight her view as an artist that goes beyond the outer appearance of a closed and defined image. The starting point of her creative process is closely related to photography, and it is nothing more than that, a starting point for something that transcends the depicted figure of the first impression. This makes it necessary to observe her work thoroughly and in a detailed manner, which isn’t fit for those in hurry or the alienated city dwellers that live lightheartedly. She invites the viewer to stop and observe her work. It is there, that she apparently suggests a female face –which challenges the viewer with its gaze– that suddenly transforms into endless fragments of objects.

Without much of an indication as to what the artist can provide us, we can start to discover her work through the discursive tool of the titles of each piece, which give us the chance to create open and subjective interpretations of the perception itself of each piece, as occurs with the piece Fata Morgana. This seems to be connected to the film by Werner Herzog of the same name from 1969. It also seems to be connected to the notion of a mirage, which makes the thesis about this particular view clear, since the mirage is a feigned image that –including the desire about something– depicts something in the distance and upon getting closer it shows something else. However, both situations are representations of reality. They also illustrate a classic example that is created in the middle of nature and that is the product of hot air in arid spaces like the desert and that generate a sense of visual movement that suggests a reflection on water.

In Beyel’s work, the appearance of these beautiful, young and radiant women that look perfect from far away show another reality upon getting closer to them. From up close you can see what they are made of. For some reason, each of them challenges us with their gaze. Are they inviting us to get closer? They are often challenging, but others are surprised or melancholy, and their pose could be considered a constant theme in her work. Another common theme is the depths of the intense blue eyes. All of them are young and splendid.  Perhaps they are models. What is hidden behind these lonely maenads?

Thousands of arranged, thought out and meticulously placed fragments are used to construct memories. These fragments immediately create a dialogue about their origin and disposal. Could we assume that the expression of desire of a radiant youth, like that of these depicted women, has the same objective as waste, in its declining use? Is it perhaps a critique on the consumerist society that we are immersed in and how that logic of the illogical is applied to human beings?

For most people, seeing these young women translates into an ideology of beauty and they compare them to models. This naturalized us the idea of beauty going hand in hand with youth. With very few exceptions, older ladies are not an object of beauty for major brands and designers. Therefore, our decadence as a society comes into play since put up with this objectified view of human beings, or in this case, of the female figure.

However, Beyel’s view shows us a double-sided analogy. On one side, we have that female face of planned obsolescence (the decline of beauty); and, on the other, we have the material waste created by the prevailing brutal consumerism. In both cases, finitude and waste are created and, even worse, they are turned into something that is common by our intrepid society which can’t see beyond its own particular means of measure, thus showing a complete lack of empathy towards others.

Nowadays, when it is important to be fully aware of natural resources and their controlled and regulated use, it is also important to completely change our mindsets. Above all, based on the current prevailing warlike context, where hundreds of thousands of immigrants have escaped from war, and where they have become the idea of societal waste, people that nobody wants to see and that nobody takes care of.

In Les Mèmoires, hundreds of black and white photographs are piled up. Who could have taken them? Memory becomes a fragment and based on the artist’s decision to incorporate the photos in her work, it becomes a means of rescue. We don’t know the story behind each woman. We also don’t know anything about their lives. We only have the enigma of wanting to know why someone decided to record that moment. It is through this, that when bringing them all together, we have a sum of moments, bits of life. In this particular case, the female face is no longer kept in a predominant position. We even get a glimpse of gestural work through the almost fully black expressive brushstrokes. The skin is made up of corks, the eyes aren’t blue, but rather a deep and piercing black, the blood-red lips scare us into going beyond the women. Her defiant work invites us to get a glimpse of the importance of photographic records, in a time where computers rule. The permanence of the memories is on the verge of disappearing. The fast expanse of digitalizing images doesn’t guarantee they will last forever, the abundance of photographic applications and the invention of the most narcissistic quality of photography, the selfie, turns life into some kind of beautiful filter where everyday life is posing and ready for a picture.

Beyel shows us that that individuality and lack of empathy, brings about –as a result– a societal decadence which invites us to stop and look beyond our superficialities.

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