Flirty Cry Baby

From its very title, Flirty Cry Baby reads like a confession, an ironic wink of an identity statement, and even a declaration of intent. In each of the self-portraits that make up this exhibition, Vanessa Karin seems to say, “this is me.” And yet, these works contain less autobiography than autofiction. In her works, Vanessa inserts herself into fantastical settings, characterized by psychedelic backgrounds of abstract organic forms rendered in vibrant colors; these are unreal landscapes with no specific time or place, where the artist interacts with manga characters and becomes involved in ambiguous, sexually charged situations. In a way, these paintings attempt to negotiate the pressures of the real world by turning to fantasy: they incorporate reality—through self-portraiture—in order to rework it as fiction, using references to anime. In this sense, biographical elements are not so much described as they are rewritten. The images speak of the recognition of the fluidity of sexuality and the multifaceted nature of desire, through playful, comic, and empowering narratives in which subjectivity unfolds beyond the pressures of society and its heteronormative framework. In that vein, the range of figuration styles appearing in the paintings—from realism to the distortions and exaggerations typical of manga—points to an open field of possibilities for being. At the same time, these works are also about painting; they are a commitment to painting as a medium, made from the digital present of a late-millennial artist. In other words, Flirty Cry Baby is a reflection on the meaning and potential of painting for someone who has grown up and lives in front of a screen. In these works, the canvas and the screen find a meeting point: the forms of painterly abstraction merge with the dreamlike scenarios of anime, but also with the glitches of the digital world; classical art aesthetics engage in dialogue with cartoon styles and manga layouts. Likewise, the overlays, character scale shifts, and abstract elements in these compositions clearly have a digital foundation, while the construction of color and form is rooted in painting. Even the embroidered elements, which evoke textile work, reaffirm the tradition of drawing while simultaneously referencing the pixel, where each stitch becomes its handcrafted counterpart. The emphasis on self-portraiture is key here, as Vanessa Karin’s central question concerns the self. However, if the artist portrays herself as innocent and sexualized, serious and playful, objectified and sovereign, it is not to testify to socially imposed behavioral models, but rather as a way to reclaim her right to be—and not have to be. That is, the freedom to be “herself,” but also to be someone else, whether real or imagined. In other words, what Vanessa is proposing is that “flirty but crybaby” is less an identity than it is—like all identities—a narrative device, an imaginary and temporary construction in this process of becoming. —Max Hernández Calvo