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INCOMPLETE


Another theme I have been exploring in my research on adolescence is its incomplete nature. For example, I have been looking at small (underdeveloped) bodies and experimenting with form and colour. As a continuation from this, I considered how this incompleteness of teenagers can be represented more literally, through disfiguration and abstract bodies.

An artist renowned for her disfiguration in her artwork is Christina Quarles. Information on her website describes her diverse queer and multi-racial background and how that impacts her daily experience surrounding ambiguity and identity. Quarles tests the boundaries of figurative art and explores the disfiguration of the human mind. [1] Her use of colour stands out to me, reminiscent of the emotion surrounding her art. Furthermore, the use of negative space and line art is interesting in how it highlights the incomplete nature of her work that I intend to carry forward. Additionally, the inclusion of doorways in her work aids the play with colour and distortion, perhaps comparing her figurative art to reality or displaying it to be symbolic of growth and development. The “disorientating complexity” [2] of Quarles’s work adds depth to her work I am interesting in pursuing in my own art.

 
Quarles, Christina, New Moon, 2021, Acrylic on canvas, 84 x 72 in and O Holy Nite, 2021, Acrylic on canvas, 77 x 96 in [3]
 

This artwork is an experimental oil pastel drawing in A4, inspired from the colour and composition of Christina Quarles and bringing together the research from both Identity and Bodies to create a distorted body. The use of complimentary colours is successful in identifying the positive and negative space, contrary to the monotone pencil sketch. The use of distortion centres the focus on the body, highlighting the ribs and extended ribs to visualise the physical and emotional discomfort of growing adolescence.

                   

In these artworks, I have experimented with composition through mixed media: acrylic paint and pencil combined with collage where I layered the secondary sourced reference on top. In the first two artworks, you can see a slim adolescence showing his ribs as an extension of my research in Rineke Dijkstra. In the third image, I took a different approach to “incomplete” through minimalism. However, I found this painting did not express the theme of ‘bodies’ as successfully as the others, although the artwork does still seem to be searching for an identity, if interpreted that way. The combination of monochrome and colour in each artwork enhances this symbolism of growing.




These artworks act as a continuation from my research on bodies. Following my idea of collaging as a way of creating distorted bodies, I cut up the drawing and references of each drawing to create new disfigured forms. I also combined the large and smaller bodies together as to bring the two together. To emphasise the incompleteness of these recycled artworks, I worked with negative space, drawing attention to the new forms created. 


   
                                                                Artwork from the Julia Stoschek Collection 2026, Berlin. Photo taken by me.

In this artwork, I took a different angle on interpreting Chritina Quarles’s use of disfiguration in her artwork, drawing a statue from the Julia Stoschek exhibition I attended in Berlin, using paint markers and embroidery onto an A5 sized canvas. I used embroidery to enhance the disfigured cross hatching and linework and embracing the negative space to enhance this message. I used vivid colours similar to in her own work, contrasted to Dijkstra’s bleaker pallet. Furthermore, the statues thoughtful body language does appear introspective, in line with my ideas surrounding identity. Although the embroidery was successful in embracing this abstract and disfigured theme, as well as the vibrant and emotional colours, the textural emphasis on flesh and skin through my experimentation on Jenny Saville stood out to me and is something I still intend to incorporate.


   

These A5 oil pastel drawings explore Quarles’s use of colour further, expanding from my minimalist painting earlier in my research under this theme. I used layered and unblended colours to create an unfinished feel, aided by subtle white marks on the images. Although this experimentation is under ‘incomplete’, the vibrancy relates well to indentity through its ambiguity, similar to Christina Quarles. Although the use of colour and texture is interesting, moving forwards, I will focus on including more negative space into my work.

Bibliography


[1] Quarles, Christina. “Christina Quarles.” www.christinaquarles.com, 2026. https://www.christinaquarles.com/.

[2] Norman, Lee Ann. "Christina Quarles with Lee Ann Norman." Brooklyn Rail (2022).

[3] Quarles, Christina. “Christina Quarles.” www.christinaquarles.com, 2026. https://www.christinaquarles.com/.

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