Belle Bassin’s The Terror of n is a suite of exploratory drawings formed by collage, graphite and coloured pencil. These works are built out of grids and patterns, priming the viewer with a sense of structure and organization. However, Bassin’s suite resides in a dream-like state, where symbolism is either incomplete, entangled or simply elusive. Where we expect to see meaning, we see a flux where a multitude of readings melt into other readings.

Found photographs of people are transplanted into the surreal surrounds of Bassin’s drawings. They are divorced from any literal readings, their body language and gestures transfigured by the geometric abstractions surrounding them. A series of what appear to be familiar symbols are revealed as alien hieroglyphs consisting of patterned forms. In some of the works, figures are obscured and concealed; in others, abstract forms bleed into other abstract forms. Throughout all of the works is a sense of lightness, as the drawing appear to hover due to their off-balance positioning within their backgrounds. The Terror of n does more than just dismantle meaning. By allowing meanings to float and comingle as though in a dream, Bassin is prompting the viewer to search for a deeper, more intuitive interpretation.


Toby Fehily