La source iconographique des œuvres de Sarah Minutillo se nourrit d’un répertoire de documents photographiques varié qu’elle sélectionne au sein de différents univers privés ou publics. Diplômée des Beaux-Arts de Liège en 2018, elle réinterprète les images, en décompose les éléments qui participent à leur réalité et reproduit un visage, une posture ou une texture, qu’elle choisit pour leur portée plastique, sémantique ou esthétique. L’ambivalente capacité du « beau » et de la représentation à évoquer la mort, la violence ou le non-dit l’interpelle : « J’utilise l’image comme résistance psychique face au terrible […] un mot qui porte sur la douleur, sur l’indicible. »[1]

Exhumées du passé, évoquant un instant déjà tombé dans l’oubli, Sarah Minutillo donne aux images une deuxième vie. Par un geste technique et minutieux de la main, elle nous transmet le sujet ‘digéré’ de son étude, en exacerbant le réalisme de certains détails ou, au contraire, en dissipant le sujet parfois jusqu’à l’effacement. Les figures capturées par l’artiste apparaissent comme des allégories troublantes, où s’enchevêtrent des sentiments familiers et extraordinaires, rassurants et inquiétants à la fois. Dans une palette réduite, les œuvres à la facture hyperréaliste, portent des titres descriptifs ne cherchant pas à construire de nouveaux récits. Sur un fond neutre, les figures s’émancipent de leur contexte, elles redeviennent image formant une constellation de moments assemblés, une totalité plutôt qu’un ensemble de fragments, englobant simultanément différentes temporalités. L’œuvre nous plonge au cœur d’une expérimentation sensible interrogeant autant la portée sémantique et l’impact des images qui nous entourent que notre capacité à exprimer la fragilité de l’existence humaine.  

Sophie Delhasse, Juin 2022

Through Images and Masks By Sabina Oroshi

Sarah Minutillo, an artist deeply attuned to the world around her, embarks on a creative voyage that delves into the intricate tapestry of visual relationships. Her work is a compelling fusion of drawing, painting, and installation, hinging on the exploration of images as a means of psychic resistance against the unbearable and unimaginable aspects of life.1 Reality is at the beginning, the observer can see the subjects very clearly, it is a Girl with Flowers, a boy named Martin or the countenance of young Arnaud. The recognizable realities in her works, however, go beyond the visible, revealing feelings, moods, and showing the observer not only what they see, but what they want to see: joy, sorrow, scepticism, humour.

Minutillo’s body of work seamlessly weaves together private and public images, creating a profound dialogue between the known and the unknown. In her drawings, we encounter a reflection akin to Rosemarie Trockel’s drawings, where the main and tangential avenues of Trockel’s artistic journey consistently unveil fresh and astonishing branches. Her execution can oscillate between meticulous realism and evocative sketchiness. The content of her creations spans the breadth of Trockel’s diverse interests, dissecting societal clichés.2 With unwavering determination, Minutillo excavates the depths, employing a constantly evolving arsenal of artistic instruments to unearth the unconscious within the subjects she depicts. Minutillo’s artistry serves as a testament to her profound commitment to capturing the ineffable aspects of human existence, seeking to transcend the realms of fetishism, voyeurism, and gratuitous horror.

Deriving inspiration from the realm of photographic archives, Minutillo seamlessly transmutes these influences into her drawings, paintings, and sculptures. Her artistic endeavours are firmly rooted in a profound exploration of the intricate dynamics governing the interplay between images and our perceptual engagement with them.

The visage is, in her works, masked, obscured, or unveiled, and it assumes a pivotal role. The visage, whether human or animal, embodies a potent emblem of identity and persona, as it holds a central position in the delineation of self, even in societies where communal identity supersedes individual identity as the prevailing societal norm.3

In her sculptural manifestations, which depict masks reminiscent of eras long past, the themes and concepts they evoke remain strikingly relevant within the contemporary milieu. The genesis of masks spans an array of historical rationales, with distinct functions unfolding: Ritual masks transcend global boundaries, sharing certain commonalities while embracing unique forms. These masks can serve magical or religious purposes; they manifest in rites of passage or as embellishments for theatrical performances.

The elements within the realm of masked rituals—including the mask itself, the costume, the performer, the music, and the choreography—converge into a unified essence, entwined with the energy being channelled.4 This energy encapsulates healing, the transition from life to death, or the metamorphosis from childhood to adulthood. At this elevated plane of consciousness, the boundaries between sensory perception and intellect blur, akin to the temporal and spatial juncture experienced between leaning over a precipice and the subsequent instant when one’s body breaches the surface. 5

Historically, masks have served multifarious purposes, often providing individuals with a means to shield their identity and mitigate social disparities. This fusion of masking serves as a conduit between generations, facilitating a continuous exchange of sentiments and ideas.

Minutillo’s practice involves the decontextualization and erasure of images, which emerge as powerful aesthetic and semantic catalysts. This process becomes a vehicle for metamorphosis, as images transition from one medium to another, leaving behind traces of their journey.6 Driven by an unwavering eye for detail and formal precision, Minutillo showcases a rich arsenal of techniques that span a broad spectrum. Each technique is thoughtfully chosen to augment the narrative, resulting in works that are both visually arresting and emotionally resonant. The act of transposing images across mediums while retaining the conscious echoes of their transfer unveils new vistas of creative potential.

1 https://sarahminutillo.com/
2 Haase, Amine “DAS UNSICHTBARE HINTER DEM SICHTBAREN: DIE LINIE DENKT: WAS WIRKLICHKEIT IN DER ZEITGENÖSSISCHEN ZEICHNUNG BEDEUTEN KANN:” Kunstforum International, Bd. 196, April-Mai 2009, pp. 93.- 94.
3 Merrill, Michael S. “MASKS, METAPHOR AND TRANSFORMATION: THE COMMUNICATION OF BELIEF IN RITUAL PERFORMANCE.” Journal of Ritual Studies, vol. 18, no. 1, 2004, pp. 16–33.4 Ibid., 17.
5 Ibid., 18.
6 https://sarahminutillo.com/

---

[1] Sarah Minutillo, 2022.