Hold Me Close Painting

Fueled by passion and curiosity for the human experience Sasha’s expressive art exposes an honest depiction of​ how it feels to live in a human suit. Emerging figurative artist Sasha Alexandria, from the Macedon Ranges juxtaposes realistic renditions with abstract gestural paint to amplify the weight of human emotions and the tension of nature. Her revealing portraits fantasize flesh through contrasted, angular strokes that imitate the gravity and feeling of the body. The artist chooses to present prior layers of charcoal, poetic interlay, drips and playful mistakes to evoke the presence of a soul, inviting the viewer to complete the painting with their ideals and personal conditioning. She confronts the superficial male gaze by exploring nudity and intimacy as a reflection of the nakedness of the psyche. Sasha creates without a veil, she unmasks the jungian shadow through the synergy of evident ‘mistakes’ and the disparity of emotion expressed in her paint work. This demonstrates all facets of self, life and death; as the essence of life lies in one's vulnerability. To Sasha, painting is psychological, what one perceives in the artist’s work is a mirror of the viewer's personal experience that cannot be replicated.