REBEKKA MACHT

About the Series 

 

Rebekka Macht’s 'The Realms of In-Between’ is a series of large-scale portrait and nude paintings that explores alternative narratives of masculinity.

 

After a pandemic-induced phase of self-portraiture and works on motherhood, this series is fueled by the artist’s desire for reconnection and rebuilding after moving to Berlin during the pandemic. 

Though the series depicts male friends of the artist, it is strongly connected to Macht’s work on self-exploration and on motherhood. Being a single mom of boys informs her interest in portraying a fluid, wholesome, soft, and secure form of masculinity. 

 

`The Realms of In-Between’ is a series of large-scale portrait and nude paintings that seeks to challenge conventional notions of masculinity and deconstruct gender-based oppression. Through intimate portraits of male-identifying subjects, the artist aims to create a space for a healthier, more wholesome form of masculinity to emerge.

The title, `The Realms of In-Between’ encapsulates the multifaceted nature of this project. It explores the intersections of masculinity, vulnerability, and human connection, creating a space for reimagining self-identity and societal roles. By elevating everyday men from various backgrounds throughout the course of the works, the series aims to decentralize white normativity and provide a platform for a diverse range of subjects.

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‚Our experiences with masculinity are shaped first by our fathers, later by romantic relationships, then passed on and remodeled if we raise children. However, friends often offer a more liberated perspective: Chosen family can be a vision and practicing space of how and with whom we want to live within our relationships, which this series embodies. 

From any gender identification standpoint, reflections on masculinity serve to reflect our interpersonal relationships as well as our relationship with ourselves. 

Therefore, reflections on masculinity are always reflections on love.’

 

In this series, the subjects’ mode of portrayal blurs norms and boundaries of gender and difference through androgynous, sometimes dreamy, and at times firm depictions. It aims to go beyond a superficial performance of softness, and towards a profound reflection that sparks change.

However, Macht’s work does not aim to stop at identity politics. Coming from a place of tenderness, ‚The Realms of In-Between‘ takes the viewer on a contemporary yet timeless exploration of self and connection.