Jugular: Colette LaVette
At the core of Colette LaVette’s latest series lies an inquiry into the paradox of human vulnerability and strength, explored through a parallelism with the natural world. LaVette’s paintings, rich in texture and symbolic interplay, take the jugular - the most fragile and vital point of the body - as a site of exploration.
LaVette's work moves beyond the figurative to probe deeper emotional and psychological terrains, where instinct, memory, and environment converge. The natural world serves not simply as a backdrop, but as an active, echoing presence - one that reflects our internal states and contradictions. Each piece draws the viewer into a liminal space, where strength is not the absence of vulnerability but its companion.
Through an intuitive yet deliberate use of form and colour, the series builds a visual language that is both intimate and expansive. There's a quiet urgency in the way LaVette layers her materials, allowing each surface to speak of tension and tenderness, of what is concealed and what breaks through. Her work invites contemplation - not just of the body as a physical entity, but as a vessel for emotion, intuition, and transformation.
Together, the paintings construct a narrative that is less about resolution and more about recognition: of our fragility, our interconnectedness with the world around us, and the quiet power that can emerge from holding both.
