Elsie Yang

St Catherine's School

CARNASSIAL / CONSTRAINT

Painting

Gouache on paper, fineliner pen on paper

In my body of work, I investigate the tension between the primal and the constructed, using teeth as a central motif to convey a raw form of aggression and vulnerability. Teeth are markers of what is animal within us. The nuances of my concept developed from the very act of repetitively and methodically painting teeth, gum and fur; this revealed to me the recurring anatomical structures between vastly different animals. By juxtaposing these natural forms with human inventions, my intention is to examine society's discomfort with the body's natural state and the compulsion to restrain or 'civilise' what is innate.

My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Dusty Ray [Instagram and TikTok], Kim Jakobsson, Louise Hearman, Peter Booth.