BanBan's Melancolía

L’Officiel: What was it like making this new body of work? How did it push forward your painting practice materially and conceptually?

Cristina BanBan: I started working on this solo show in the immediate aftermath of opening dual concurrent solo exhibitions across different galleries in New York. As a result, I was feeling quite tired because I didn’t have much time off, but at the same time, it felt natural and comforting to jump back into a disciplined studio routine.

I knew that after finishing this body of work, I would be able to return to Barcelona, where I’m from and haven’t been to since the pandemic. Perhaps that feeling of longing for my hometown influenced the spirit of these paintings. On a formal level, the works in Melancolía are different, in composition and also color palette. Within each painting, I pushed myself to try something new. In this new body of work, you’ll find certain unintentional yet beautiful errors, as well as new brushstroke techniques and ways of painting, which continue to motivate me as my process evolves.

L’O: How did moving to New York effect your practice?

CB: Within months of moving to New York, the pandemic began. When the restrictions were imposed, I was able to spent lockdown working in isolation without distraction. This long period of solitude wasn’t unusual for me. As many artists often do, I spend a lot of time away from others, but during this specific period, I became a total hermit. As a result, my technique changed and the maturity of the paintings as well, in my opinion. It has been a year that I shifted from acrylic paint to oil paint, and that has been a total revelation for me.

L’O: Your exhibition is titled Melancolía — Can you tell us more about your choice? Is it an intentional reference to Freud?

CB: I understand melancholy as it relates to memory, or a re-creation or idealization of a past experience. Acknowledging melancholy as a concept of being happy and sad at the same time; this feeling is instantly palpable within the works in this show.

L’O: Your subjects are extremely present and supersized God-like characters. What is your relationship to your characters?

CB: I work with the body, as both medium and muse, as it is my vehicle for storytelling. My paintings contend with intimacy, relationships, and everyday life. The robust and exaggerated forms allow me to accentuate certain movements and the character’s body language.

L’O: Do the people in your paintings exist in real life or are they fictional?

CB: All the paintings are deeply personal and result from an introspective gaze Often, I base paintings off of my own features, like in “Dos Caras de Una Misma Moneda,” or people that are close. Another example is “Irene and Sara Peeling Potatoes in Greenpoint.” These are two friends of mine in their Brooklyn apartment. It was an intimate and real scene, so did not need to change the characters or the context. In other works, though, the characters are fictional, like in “Acto Tercero” or “Before the Splash.”

L’O: You talk about “Morriña” – a nostalgia for your home country. Were you able to travel home during the pandemic? Did this impact your work?

CB: I spent the last two years working non-stop in New York; it was a very productive time for me in the studio. Due to covid restrictions, I couldn’t visit Spain, so I was deeply homesick, and that longing is reflected in this new body of work.

L’O: You take inspiration from art history and masters like Pablo Picasso, but which living artist do you most admire?

CB: I admire Paula Rego, Louise Bonnet, Tal R, my friend Cristina de Miguel, Lisa Yuskavage, Lynnette Yiadom-Boakye, Daniel Richter, Rose Wylie, George Rouy,…

L’O: What is next for Cristina BanBan?

CB: Keep experimenting; keep working hard in my studio.

Interview by Jenny Mannerheim

Photo Courtesy of the artist and Perrotin.