Kirsty Whiten: Breeder Badlands

Feminist ferocity and a polished aesthetic: that was my summary of Kirsty Whiten’s work back in 2010, in Axolotl’s inaugural show Life, Death and Sex. With Breeder Badlands, however, Whiten looks beyond the dominant, independent female to the family unit, seeking to investigate its ‘animalistic, instinctual’ nature.

Several large paintings provide the focal points, while prints created in collaboration with the Edinburgh Printmakers play a supporting role. The paintings investigate the primal nature of familial relations, yet position them in a contemporary world, primarily suggested by unnatural colours and forms. For example, the cowering group in Cover inhabit a lilac wasteland, while the interlocked bodies of Feral Family recline amongst intestine-like roots and neon-green trees. This strong element of modernity, also expressed in Whiten’s glossy painterly finish, prevents these works from slipping into an overly-romanticised depiction of ‘the family’, ensuring their relevance to the present-day viewer.

However, some of the rougher prints, particularly those featuring men, prove more problematic. Hearkening back to antiquated concepts of the ‘masculine’, some of these works are no longer as pertinent in an era where gender roles are increasingly fluid. This nostalgia is enhanced by Whiten’s use of brown and grey, while their sketchy nature contrasts with the sharper, more polished images elsewhere.

Evidently Whiten’s females now appear to exist harmoniously alongside their male companions, unlike their fierce counterparts in Life, Death and Sex. Yet while her women clearly relate to the contemporary nature of motherhood, one feels her men-folk are a few centuries behind.