Shanee Roe
“I create situations in which the figures are so close and yet so very far, making clumsy, playful physical attempts to connect, but remain disconnected... awkward tragedies.”
I first came into contact with Shanee Roe (*1996), in the context of her exhibition “Unter den Laken” at Neuer Kunstverein Wuppertal in 2023. We’ve been in touch ever since and I had the chance to follow her exciting journey since then with great interest. After learning the basics of painting with Ran Tenenbaum, Shanee moved to Leipzig where Christoph Ruckhäberle became her mentor at the Academy of Fine Arts. She then continued her study at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, in the class of Daniel Richter. The intensity and emotionality of her paintings and drawings is very touching and captivates the viewer. Intimacy meets vulnerability and tragedy, which can also sometimes unfold funny moments. We’ve met in her studio in Berlin Neukölln on a hot summer's day at the end of August 2024, and talked surrounded by some of her large-format paintings. I am thrilled that Shanee is now part of the Studio Talks series.
After living and working in many different cities, you’re now based in Berlin, your studio is in the heart of Neukölln – how do you feel about it? Does Berlin feel like home already?
I really enjoy Berlin. It’s an exciting city, and this studio here is my first time having a studio alone, and it really became my little universe. Spending so many hours each day inside a space that is full of my own chaos, colors and ideas where I can think out loud and commit to my rhythm of painting. This space sometimes feels like a daily celebration of loneliness, which is very liberating but also sometimes imprisoning. I seem to need this big city around to pull me out when I get too carried away in my little cave. I get refreshed by the sounds of people in crowded streets and bars on my walk home after spending so many hours in my head.
I can relate to that and I also believe that the contrast of being alone and working just by yourself and then diving back into the rhythm of the city can be quite a good balance for the mind. Now jumping from Berlin to LA: When I saw the paintings from your exhibition “Between you and me” in LA, I was very impressed. You did the residency in LA at Danny First’s space - The Cabin LA - and your works had an enormous power. How was your time in Los Angeles?
This residency was an amazing experience. Danny First is just great and I love his project there. The place has a really special energy. It was the first time for me working on such big dimensions, in such a huge studio alone, since then I continued working in big formats. I feel I was making a very effective artistic progress during this time even though the pressure to produce an exhibition in a month was challenging. It surprised me how much I loved LA. The residency took place during a time in my life when I was dealing with a lot of rough things on a personal level, which made the whole experience of being so far away, alone in a crazy city, very intense. Still I managed to very much enjoy LA and found it exciting and inspiring, I learned a lot. Almost sad to think of it now since I really miss it. I generally enjoy and embrace opportunities to work and paint in different places and atmospheres. In my life I move around a lot and have lived in many different cities, I see it as an integral part of my artistic journey.
When I look at your paintings, I see vulnerability and absurdity, sometimes loneliness, despite being in a relationship, and an intimacy that feels very honest and has no protective shield. I see all the tragedy and yet sometimes with funny aspects as well. The relationships between the figures you paint raise questions: What’s the dynamic of power between them? Do they protect each other, love each other or abuse each other? How would you describe the topics of your paintings yourself?
My works usually revolve around the themes of intimacy, interpersonal relations and power dynamics. I create situations in which the figures are so close and yet so very far, making clumsy, playful physical attempts to connect, but remain disconnected. As you said, tragic and funny… or, silly, I would say. Awkward tragedies. I like to use cute features for the figures, not to leave them being so disturbing but to also awake a sense of compassion.
You once said to me that it's more about raising questions than giving answers. What do you mean by that?
I don’t aim to express a specific narrative, but rather to awake questions, to make the viewer seek observations. It is too comfortable to just have the story. I want them to ask, just as you did in your previous question: if this is abusive or playful? Are the figures intimidating or helpless? To have to FIND the softness in the dynamic, as well as the harshness, and wonder. Just as we do in real life, so many times, trying to create narratives from situations we experienced or heard of, questioning if we were close or far with some person, were we for real or was it an act. Was what they said or did aggressive or was this a heart touching gesture. Intimate situations are always such a puzzle of all our deepest emotions and regressions, I enjoy disassembling and assembling it. In order to create this questioning mode, I need to be in the question while painting. I do not decide about one narrative, I focus on building tension and stretching the boundaries.
Courtesy Galerie Krinzinger and Shanee Roe, Photo 2023 Tamara Rametsteiner
What role does sexuality play in this?
I use sexual motives to expose a very lonely, desperate state of being. The nudity reveals some sort of raw vulnerability that is almost primitive and childish, striping the figures from all their shields and manners. In these sexual situations it is almost impossible to hide the endless longing for closeness.
“I use sexual motives to expose a very lonely, desperate state of being.”
“Tears Bukkake” Shanee Roe, 2024
The motive of tears appears again and again. What do those tears mean to you?
Tears, in many religions, is the one body liquid that isn’t filthy. I find this fascinating. It’s a playful motive. Recently I made a painting of “Tears Bukkake”. I think tears are a good tool to create this mix of tragic and silly, which I mentioned before.
That's interesting, I've never looked at it from that angle before. I mean tears are somehow innocent per se. And yes, as you said, even the title “Tears Bukkake” is again tragic and silly at the same time. Really like the painting and its title. You mentioned that you work on several pieces at the same time, sometimes covering them up again and again and doing collages as well – what gives you the feeling that a work is finally finished?
I guess if a painting survives two-three months in my studio without being destroyed or overpainted then it means they made it.
Haha okay, I see. What materials do you prefer to work with?
I use acrylic, oil and collage. I love them all, combining them or making separate works each focusing on one material. It is important for me to juggle the different techniques and possibilities in order to always keep experimenting rather than running with one convenient trick.
Oversized heads keep popping up in your work, where does that come from?
I have been exploring this big head motive over the past year. There is an intimidating element to the male naked body, and without it the heads are left harmless and helpless. It enables me to create a strange dynamic, in which the attempt to connect through physical interaction can not be solved through the body. There is a violent association to these heads due to the tradition of paintings portraying severed male heads. You can find them in the fascinating works of Artemisia Gentileschi, one of the few female painters of her time during the late renaissance. This may create a violent association when meeting my bodiless heads, and I am aware of that, though I aim to show them with a lot of compassion as well, to make a soft, playful dynamic with the female figure. They are alive and so very needy, desperate to be embraced.
I think that’s a very accurate description, you can literally feel their desire to be loved and embraced. You mentioned the wonderful and impressive artist Artemisia Gentileschi, which brings me to the question: What are your sources of inspiration and which artists are currently influencing you?
I love looking at paintings and going to exhibitions. This is crucial food for my mind. Painting is a lot of time spent alone with many questions running throughout the process and just looking at paintings can give so many answers and turn on such a dialogue with another artist without meeting. My favorite painter of all time is Philip Guston. He started his way from comics, and one could notice this in his paintings, though he remains so extremely painterly and expressive. I love his use of humor inside very emotional spheres. I learn a lot from Guston’s transformation process from comics to figurative painting to fantastic abstract paintings. As a kid I also grew up on comics and wanted to become a comic artist. From a young age I was fascinated by the dirty comics of Robert Crumb and read a lot of mad magazines. Nowadays when seeking color inspirations, I often look at Tal R, Bob Thompson, R B Kitaj, Matthew Wong, Amy Sillman. I also love Florence Hutchings’ works, she inspired me to work with collage. And of course, Dana Schutz and Nicole Eisenman, amazing painters with fascinating ways of dealing with figuration and narrative in contemporary painting. I also strongly relate to German expressionism, all these grotesque German painters. Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Otto Dix, George Grosz and many more. This also played a big role in my decision to move to Germany and get a hold on these painterly roots by developing in a place with such an inspiring painting history.
Wow, I love the range of artists you name here, very exciting and with a view at your work, also very plausible. Speaking of inspiration: What music or podcasts do you listen to when you paint in the studio?
I listen to such different things! A lot of SHOPHIE and Rosalia, also GuyGuy & Eyalo, always pushes my energy. Cardi B makes me dance around while painting, Doja cat and Young MA. I play Zohar Argov, Zehava Ben or Eviatar Banai when I need something very emotional. I tend to loudly sing along. Nina Simone! One of my all time favorites. Shlomo Gronich and Laura Tompkins fit my paintings very well. The list goes on and on endlessly. Though some days or weeks I just need silence to think.
Sounds great, also a fantastic variety! So, what’s next? Anything you can already tease?
September is a lot! Just this month I have a group show in Koenig Gallery Mexico City, a solo show with Luce Gallery in Turin, Italy, a few works with Nino Mier in Armory New York, a solo booth with Kornfeld in Position art fair, then leave for a residency in London. Next solo show in Berlin will be in April with Gallery Kornfeld.
Ok, there's a lot coming up in the next few weeks, that's awesome. Thanks for having me and for the lovely and inspiring conversation. Looking forward to everything that comes in the future!
Photo Credits:
Tamara Rametsteiner, Danny First, Malte Bülskämper