In conversation with...

Iris Schomaker

In this interview Iris Schomaker opens up about her artistic practice, process and the mysterious inhabitants of her work, discussing the development of her work since her last exhibition at Reflex Amsterdam in 2017. Titled 'Walking the Line', the paintings in the show share a theme of finding balance; in form, composition, colour and life. Distinctively working with abstracted figures and geometric formations, Schomaker's process is often an exploration and contemplation of lines, aimed at finding an equilibrium. Revealing the entire process from sketch to finished painting in each piece, one finds thin charcoal lines next to multi-layered strips and faint brushstrokes. Not covering or erasing previous layers allows for a sense of movement in her work, an aliveness in the characters. It alludes to both the temporality of their position - they are not fixed in time - and the cadence of the artist's gradual process.