Tuning of watery organisms
Yasmim Flores
(2021)
Tuning of watery organisms is a series of paintings made with watercolour, crayon, and ink on paper. The works were created shortly after the artist had a miscarriage in 2021. They poetically express the inner world of emotions that a bereaved mother can experience during such a traumatic incident. Through abstract visual depictions of gestures, reproductive organs, and breaths, the work deals with the question: how do all these elements move in synergy to create a physical experience of grief and consolation?
The liquidity of the watery colours simulates the flow of feelings and hormones inside the body during pregnancy and miscarriage. Applying various shades of grey and blue insinuates a sense of sadness but also a glimpse of hope, whereas the gold refers to the preciousness of the lost embryo. The intensity of the black contours expresses a state of stress that Salim Flores has been going through before and due to this unfortunate loss. For her, the fluidity of the body and brush strokes are a way to grieve and a form of agency to care for oneself and others.