Internationally recognised art and literary critic, writer and cultural producer. Published in ELLE, Glamour, Esquire and Cosmopolitan; member of the Union of Writers.
By Maria Bregman, journalist, writer and contemporary art researcher.
Christie MacDonald is a French-born artist who creates abstract compositions that combine elements from different cultures, times, and media. Her solo exhibition, Encoded, Stored, and Retrieved, at SomoS Art House in Berlin, showcases her latest works that explore the themes of memory, cultural pollination, and artistic invention.
Memory as a Source of Inspiration
MacDonald’s paintings are the result of the absorption of images that she collects on her trips or in her everyday life. She uses a visual diary to document colours, patterns, or random details that catch her eye. Through the process of dreams and memory, she reinterprets them in a new composition. She says, “My practice is shared between digital and actual painting process. The pictures are stored on my computer in order to digitally transform them. Like a collage, I mix images together allowing me to build a new narrative and paint this new image onto the canvas.”
MacDonald’s paintings are not literal representations of reality, but rather impressions of her personal experiences and emotions. She uses a rough aesthetic and a bold palette to convey her feelings and intuitions. She is looking for the right balance between colours and forms, as well as between order and chaos.
Cultural Pollination and Artistic Invention
MacDonald’s paintings are also influenced by her travels around South-east Asia, where she encountered diverse cultures and artistic traditions. She was fascinated by the ornamentation, the symbolism, and the spirituality of the places she visited. She incorporated some of these elements into her paintings, creating a dialogue between the East and the West, the ancient and the modern, the sacred and the profane.
MacDonald’s paintings are not only a fusion of different cultures, but also of different media. She bridges the classic technique of painting with impulses from the digital realm. She uses computer applications to manipulate and distort her images, creating a sense of movement and dynamism. She also plays with the perspective and the depth of the pictorial space, creating a tension between the flatness and the three-dimensionality of the canvas.
A Contemporary and Personal Interpretation of Painting
MacDonald’s paintings are a unique and original expression of her vision and style. She does not follow any specific artistic movement or trend, but rather creates her own language and identity. She cites Matisse as an influence, but also draws inspiration from post-pop, digital, and internet culture. She says, “I am interested in the similarities and disparities between these themes and how they can coexist in a painting.”
Encoded, Stored, and Retrieved offers a glimpse into a contemporary and personal interpretation of painting, connecting the past with the future. MacDonald’s paintings are a reflection of her journey as an artist and as a human being, constantly evolving and experimenting. They invite the viewer to enter her world and to share her memories, emotions, and discoveries.
Christie MacDonald – ̊¬ ̊, 2019, Acrylic on canvas, 100 x 140 cm
