Taken by the vivid colours, patterns and realistic imitation of fabrics and textiles, the work of Monica Rohan initially struck me as whimsical. Upon further research, I discovered that Rohan's works are a 'reflection of the genre of autobiography through a mysterious form of self portraiture' (ref). Intriguingly, none of her works show the faces of the women, as the figures are often seen burying their heads in flowers, hedges or blankets. Their unusual stance and sometimes even bodily contortions hint at something more troubling: 'isolation and human frailty' (ref).
While aesthetically pleasing to the eye, I eventually realised why I often see myself so strongly in her pieces. Sometimes we all feel like we're floating and falling through life, like we're constantly overwhelmed. As Rohan remarked on The Design Files: 'I think of the figure as being the part that allows access for the
viewer to feel some kind of emotional reaction, to imagine themselves in
the same kind of position, hiding in a hedge or drowning in a
floordrobe or sinking into a rug.' (ref) I almost find refuge that Rohan's works are a medium through which these feelings can be articulated when words are perhaps inaccurate.
