Simon Fujiwara Bad Ballerinas (Study for a Balancing Who?), 2023

This pastel and charcoal on canvas is a portrait of Who the Bær, Simon Fujiwara's original cartoon character, depicted as one of Edgar Degas' ballerinas from the iconic series the Impressionist painter developed in the 1870s.

In this canvas, Fujiwara recreates the study drawings of ballet dancers that Edgar Degas executed in his studio and in the backstage of the Paris Opéra. Who, Fujiwara's cartoon character in constant search of a fixed identity, is represented here in the fragile balance of a ballet arabesque. Their legs and arms are positioned on opposite sides of their body's axis, while their outstretched pink tongue swirls around their multicolored tutu, dripping with droplets of honey.

Fujiwara depicts Who's body in simple, abstract forms outlined by cartoon-like lines of charcoal, all directed towards the center in a highly energetic concentric movement. The vividness of the colors contrasts with the hastiness of the brushstrokes, as if certain spaces were left vacant by the artist and Who's body was still taking shape as their gyrating movement stabilize. Despite their rather spectacular posture, Who looks exhausted and in pain as they attempt to achieve the prodigious perfection of a ballet dance move. The great difficulty of the posture paired with the desperate expression on their face recalls Who’s never-ending, vain quest of finding their fixed, stable and tradable identity in a world full of images.