Charcoal on paper
From the exhibition Between Forms
There is a difference between stopping and allowing yourself to rest.
Recline explores that quieter state. The figure is no longer fighting to remain upright or holding herself rigidly together. She leans back, supported by the surface beneath her, allowing the weight of the body to settle.
There is still uncertainty in the figure. The face remains obscured and loosely formed, while the body is defined with greater clarity. But unlike some of the more strained figures within Between Forms, there is less resistance here.
For me, this piece is about the body beginning to recognise rest as something it can inhabit rather than something it has to earn.
The reclining posture carries vulnerability, but also a certain confidence. She takes up space without performing strength. She does not need to be moving forward. For this moment, simply being held is enough.
Within Between Forms, Recline represents a pause — a state between exertion and recovery where nothing necessarily needs to happen.
Sometimes returning to yourself begins by becoming still.
