Introduction

“Inferno Rosa,” Sarah Buckner’s first solo exhibition in Asia at Longlati Foundation, curated by Sun Wenjie, showcases sixteen recent paintings that are as intimate as they are enigmatic. These pieces navigate the artist’s personal universe, blending life experiences with influences from art history, literature, and European traditions, creating a canvas as a stage for surreal yet relatable narratives.

The exhibition’s title, “Inferno Rosa,” itself reflects Buckner’s focus on dualities—combining “rosa,” with its connotations of warmth, tenderness, and femininity, with “inferno,” symbolizing inner turmoil, transformation, and existential struggle. This juxtaposition captures Adorno’s concept of dialectical tension, where opposing forces coexist to shape meaning. Buckner’s works invite viewers to explore this complexity and feel the pull between pleasure and pain, joy and shame.

In the titular triptych, Inferno Rosa (2024), the image of a reclining woman, possibly an acrobat, poses beside a monkey with a ladder and hovering birds in the background. These elements suggest a scene suspended between ambition and instinct, purity and acceptance, evoking a dreamlike stage play. Buckner’s fascination with transitional states—between stability and flux, discovery and completion—opens each painting to the viewer’s interpretation.

Buckner’s exploration of the “gaze” becomes evident in Adversa (2024), where a doll-like figure glances sideways with an indifferent yet defiant expression. This character, innocent but watchful, acts as a guardian over the exhibition, embodying the mix of vulnerability and defiance found across her figures. In Untitled I (2024), a fig leaf, partially concealing a woman’s face, symbolizes the delicate interplay of shame and awe, hinting at a loss of innocence as well as self-consciousness. The fig leaf—a symbol of modesty in Western art history—reveals Buckner’s deft handling of vulnerability in her female subjects, who appear self-sufficient, sensual, and contemplative.

Works like Icone Satin (Solo I) (2024) feature figures engaging directly with the viewer through layered compositions. Here, a woman, clutching a lipstick, gazes out with three eyes as though merging her act of self-creation with the viewer’s gaze, suggesting a complex dialogue of identity and self-perception. In Mayarelli (Solo II) (2024), a figure in lingerie with an oddly placed pump invites the viewer to contemplate her imperfection, blending classical repose with modern nuance. Her body becomes an emblem of life’s transformations, balancing intimacy with estrangement.

Buckner’s treatment of faces, using pale, translucent layers, gives her figures an ethereal quality reminiscent of Sylvia Plath’s Lady Lazarus, as if peeling away layers to reveal the “same, identical woman” beneath. This haunting effect encourages reflection on femininity, resilience, and self-revelation. By mixing oils with minerals like lapis lazuli and vermillion, Buckner enriches her work’s texture, capturing life’s complexity and inviting viewers to confront the multifaceted nature of human experience.

Through “Inferno Rosa,” Sarah Buckner offers a visual tapestry that encourages us to embrace and reflect upon the complexities of identity and existence, pushing viewers to grapple with the intricate interplay of contrasting forces in the journey of life.