The contemporary figurative painter Loribelle Spirovski returns to HOFA Gallery this June with a solo exhibition ‘Coronation’. The show is comprised entirely of new artworks created during the 2020 lockdown. ‘Coronation’ builds on many of the themes and motifs audiences have seen in her past critically acclaimed collections like ‘Hommes’ and ‘Memento Moti’. It is also a potent play on words whose double meaning points to the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the political power shifts and significant moments occurring simultaneously which continue to exert mammoth influences on the external and internal lives of people everywhere. 

In her new collection, Loribelle explores familiar and poignant themes with an urgency that speaks to the moment, employing her signature line technique to delineate eyes, faces and human forms entangled and abstracted into the minimalist geometric background which represents the room of the mind. 

WHAT IS THIS EXHIBITION ABOUT?

The show entitled, 'Coronation', probes into my own experiences over the past history-making year. It will examine the ripples of global events on my own life through the lens of the abstract 'room' that has come to be a key motif in my practice. This show will explore the ways in which our sense of reality has become broken down through our inevitable and increasing reliance on IT and the reality-distorting phenomenon of social media.   

WHAT INFLUENCE HAS THE PANDEMIC HAD OVER YOU AND YOUR WORKS?

The events of the past year have galvanised a deeper introspection in my work, forcing me to question even harder why I paint . The themes and subjects of my work over this past year have been directly shaped by global events and my increased drive to create work, a direct result of the human mortality that we are being reminded of on a daily basis.  

What is the message of this exhibition? 

The title was chosen for both its word play - corona, nation - and its connotations with the shift of power from one head to another. It is both a celebration and a banal token ceremony that seems divorced from everyday life, yet has the potential to shape everyday life in both subtle and significant ways.