HORCRUX, 2024

Materiality is a central subject of Deona Lizette’s practice which has roots in woodworking, paint- ing, and drawing. The use of wood stems from her childhood woodworking in her grandfather’s shop. By combining painting and printing to create illusory multidimensional spaces and geometric abstract figures, Lizette embraces and rejects traditional notions of representation. In its form or absence, the human body often plays a crucial role in Lizette’s work. Bold shapes and patterns reference architecture and interior design—art forms that revolve around an anticipation of human presence and bodily interaction. “I am working monochromatically through carvings and paintings on carvings and paintings on wood- blocks or canvas. I’m interested in metamorphosing the figure in space to capture the existence of the spiritual presence. I build up layers of paint that sit under and over the print. I allow [figures] to transform into organic, abstract forms within illusory spaces that reveal the connection between realms. When creating these works, I think about branding, scarification, tattooing, performative rituals, and tribal masks.”