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Rebecca Lindsmyr
Sincerely yours (overflowing the lip and sucked back in) (6), 2024
Acrylic and oil on canvas
160 x 115 cm
63 x 45.25 in
63 x 45.25 in
Rebecca Lindsmyr's (b. 1990, Sweden) new series, Sincerely yours (overflowing the lip and sucked back in), explores the fluid nature of identity through two versions of her handwritten signature—one from childhood...
Rebecca Lindsmyr's (b. 1990, Sweden) new series, Sincerely yours (overflowing the lip and sucked back in), explores the fluid nature of identity through two versions of her handwritten signature—one from childhood and the other from early adulthood. These signatures act as painterly gestures, echoing different stages of her life and illustrating how identity is both chosen and taught. The series invites viewers to contemplate the complexities of identity, the tension between individuality and societal influence, and the deep, often unconscious forces that shape the contours of a hypothetical self.
Lindsmyr examines how the signature acts as a stand-in for an individual while also reflecting their integration into a symbolic order of language and societal norms. This negotiation translates the self into a readable line. She investigates how thoughts and feelings cycle between repression and resurfacing, akin to the inhale and exhale of breath—the internal and external merging and dynamically impacting our identity and behavior. Lindsmyr further engages with the concept of the "hyposubject," signifying a shift from rigid identities to a more undefined and primal state, suggesting a connection to ideas questioning humanity’s elevated position from a broader ecological perspective.
Sincerely yours (overflowing the lip and sucked back in) considers the indexical and significatory aspects of the signature and its relationship to painterly gestures, examining its place within the history and discourse of painting. The signature, like the painterly mark, serves as an indexical trace of the person behind it and hints at something 'before' language in a psychoanalytical sense, while the signature simultaneously functions as a linguistic representation. By utilizing the signature as a painterly gesture, the work broadens the perception of gestural traditions in painting. Through incorporating screen printing, Lindsmyr additionally transforms her signature from a personal mark into a mass-produced image, engaging with themes such as repetition, performativity, fragmentation, and labor. This process exhausts the signature, turning it into both a definitive statement and a reflective, overflowing surface.
Lindsmyr examines how the signature acts as a stand-in for an individual while also reflecting their integration into a symbolic order of language and societal norms. This negotiation translates the self into a readable line. She investigates how thoughts and feelings cycle between repression and resurfacing, akin to the inhale and exhale of breath—the internal and external merging and dynamically impacting our identity and behavior. Lindsmyr further engages with the concept of the "hyposubject," signifying a shift from rigid identities to a more undefined and primal state, suggesting a connection to ideas questioning humanity’s elevated position from a broader ecological perspective.
Sincerely yours (overflowing the lip and sucked back in) considers the indexical and significatory aspects of the signature and its relationship to painterly gestures, examining its place within the history and discourse of painting. The signature, like the painterly mark, serves as an indexical trace of the person behind it and hints at something 'before' language in a psychoanalytical sense, while the signature simultaneously functions as a linguistic representation. By utilizing the signature as a painterly gesture, the work broadens the perception of gestural traditions in painting. Through incorporating screen printing, Lindsmyr additionally transforms her signature from a personal mark into a mass-produced image, engaging with themes such as repetition, performativity, fragmentation, and labor. This process exhausts the signature, turning it into both a definitive statement and a reflective, overflowing surface.