I love your comments and I follow all the links I get. We might argue, but most often we share anger, indignation, ideas and solidarity (yes, I’m lucky that you take the time to leave a word of appreciation!)
This time, I -was lucky enough that Suzzan Blac read my text, commented, and left me an open door to her work.
I followed the link and it was mind-blowing. Her story is sadly way too common. Her resilience is not.
“Suzzan Blac’s early years were the stuff of the darkest nightmares: abject poverty and spirit-crushing abuse. Adolescence brought a harrowing coercion into the horrific world of the sex trade where she was held prisoner. She escaped, but spiraled into depression. Eventual marriage to a loving man and two beautiful children gave her a sense of normalcy for the first time in her life. But the long buried memories kept her an emotional hostage. To free herself and heal, she started painting. Out came 42 pieces, so raw they shocked even the artist. She hid them for a decade. When finally she revealed them, fame followed. Her work is exhibited around the world.”
Her art breaches intellectual defenses and hypocrisy. Her art overwhelms the heart. You can’t search “logical” counter arguments while looking at it. This is visceral, you absorb her message, and suddenly the story of her life is yours too. The trigger warning comes here, as many will recognize themselves in the things she paints, those things people don’t like to talk about. It’s distressing.
Those pictures of her bare soul are not the kind who fade out. They scream us the truth.
The truth about the sex-trade, based on pedophilia, abuse, lies, destroyed lives, sick complicities of parents and exploitation. Women peeled of their skin, flesh exposed, tell us about women tortured to please men’s greed for meat. The truth about self-contempt, hate, depression and terror.
Suzzan exposes herself with terrible and painful honesty. She tells everything about self-destruction and her pain, through pictures of exposed flesh.
Her must be studied in schools instead of the lascivious female nudes that we are force-fed in centuries. Her art reminds us what art should be. Political and the essence of the truth. She gives a voice, a form, a body, to physical, emotional and sexual abuse. It haunts and hurts.
Think Outside the Boxer 
Merci pour cette découverte. Un témoignage terrible avec des peintures qui retournent de façon viscérale comme tu le dis.
L’oeuvre qui m’a vraiment perturbée (et pourtant il m’en faut) c’est “The Trusted Uncle”… la moins sanglante mais l’innocence du bébé et le visage et le regard de l’oncle… je n’ai pas de mot. 😦
I admire her strength, courage and exceptional artistic talent!