Water & Clouds/ Clouds #8

For some time now, Cologne-based artist Agnete Sabbagh has been exploring the possibilities of artistic representation of her two passions: penmanship and photo painting – true to the motto „Two passions dwell, alas! in my breast“. They are two poles that she consciously lives out – experiencing them as an enriching tension.

Agnete Sabbagh is a visual storyteller. In her written works, she allows music to play a significant role alongside poetry. Agnete Sabbagh captures the song, the melody of the quoted pieces of music and odes in her works in two ways. In addition to the use of written aesthetics, there is also the colouring of her paintings, which, like the pitch of the song or poem, functions as a vehicle of emotion. Her works are thus based on a synaesthesia in which different levels of sensual perception are intermingled.

The digital photo collages, some of which are reworked in analogue with ink, function in a similar language. The motifs are representations of a brief moment that can be interpreted in different ways through the collage.

The medium that connects everything, however, is encaustic (bee and artificial waxes and resin, with and without pigment), which originates from Egyptian antiquity. Working with hot wax fascinates Agnete Sabbagh in several ways: it enables her to combine analogue, classical techniques such as calligraphy with modern digital photo-painting by collaging papers in different layers or working with structures, carved elements or textures. The play with partial blurring creates a mysterious-looking depth in the pictures, while at the same time the waxy sealing creates a certain distance.

The artist’s motivation follows Oscar Wilde’s quotation, namely to enjoy art as freedom of sensation and interpretation, as well as moments of discovery.