Sylvie Freedman - Body Language

Sylvie Freedman spent over 15 years as a dancer and is attuned to the sensations, movements and inner workings of a dancer's body. In this series of paintings, Freedman explores the linguistics of how we describe the body in relation to what it can do. Phrases like  “swimmers’ shoulders” or "dancers’ feet” convey meanings beyond mere function. The paintings are very close up, amorphous, suggestive, as they spotlight different aspects of the body.

Freedman’s painting style highlights the fleshy corporeal nature of body parts that casual viewers may not even be aware of. These paintings display pain points every dancer experiences; their bodies are part of a performance art, yet no one sees the inner work that creates the outward beauty. This series reflects Freedman's wider body of work that explores ideas of the female body, the viewers' gaze and reflections of body image in historic and contemporary painting.