HADASSAH EMMERICH. EPICUREAN EDEN

ΕΜΣΤ New Commission

Foyer and Education Space – Mezzanine

08.03.2024

Hadassah Emmerich has become known for her exuberant paintings, collages and murals that intricately weave stylised representations of exotic fruit, body parts and vegetal elements into bold eroticised ornaments. Her work reflects an immersive and visceral exploration of the body and identity, navigating the realms of the sensory and the sensual while delving into the commodification of desire, the erotic and the exotic.

The sensuality of her painting resides not only on the surface of the image, but also in her refined use of colour and technical execution. Since 2016, Emmerich has worked with a new painting technique, using stencils cut from vinyl flooring, which she covers with ink and then impresses onto canvas, paper or a wall. Referring to the visual language of advertising and Pop art, she creates images that examine the aestheticisation of the female body. She depicts the paradox of simultaneous attraction and repulsion, intimacy and cool detachment, seduction and critique.

For the first presentation of her work in Greece, Emmerich has created a new large-scale, site-specific expansive wall painting which covers part of the museum’s ground floor foyer and mezzanine, taking over its entire education space. Consisting of several murals, a large frieze on the balcony of the mezzanine that connects to the ground floor and mezzanine, and several murals on the latter, including two monumental columns and sitting areas, the result is both an immersive and colourful Gesamtkunstwerk, but also an ideal environment for children.

Artistic production | Coordination: Yannis Arvanitis