Fiona Banner

Banner undermines expectations by presenting this framed work on the floor with what seems like the back side facing the viewer. Its title, “Shy Nude,” teases us by suggesting an image on the other side. In fact, there is a drawing on the other side describing a nude. She works traditionally from a model in the studio, transcribing the pose and body in the most explicit detail—but in words rather than image. In doing so, Banner subverts our expectations, again. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the work is that the writing is visually compelling. The weight of her pencil even creates a ghostly figurative image through the center of the text.