The work: Raeleen Pfeiffer, Hugging My Anguish, 2020. Lino print, 58 x 45.5cm. Photo: Jasmine Johnston. Courtesy: the artist.
The works of artist Raeleen Pfeiffer are a poignant blend of beauty and agony. As a sexual assault survivor who has failed to receive any justice from the law, she is left to sublimate her feelings into striking prints that convey the depths of her solitary sorrow. Hugging My Anguish looks to make physical the inner turmoil she suffered during the four-year slog as the slow wheels of the courts stuttered and ultimately stopped, embracing these emotions in order to remain calm in the face of a system firmly stacked against victims of sexual violence. “This experience had a lasting impact on my mental health”, says the artist, “and I know I’m not the only one.” Rather than turning away from her anguish, the figure gently cradles these turbulent thoughts against her cheek, very literally coming face-to-face with the consequences of her experience. She gazes down at them, jaw set and shoulders firm. Though some drip from between her fingers, her embrace contains most of the writhing forms, in places even becoming one with them. The exclusively monochromatic palette offers immense visual impact, speaking a story of catharsis for both artist and the viewer, whose shared emotion and experience are as tangled together as the forms in Pfeiffer’s work.