Pop Art

Unabashedly emotional, Pascale Taurua challenges gender stereotypes and subverts the male-dominated art world by using clothes as a symbol of strength and sexuality.

Painting on canvas with extra-fine oil, she blocks in her sketch before allowing the piece to choose its own direction. The figures are usually rough at this stage, but she knows the overall feeling in terms of colour and composition. This is the most critical stage of the process; once Pascale has decided on the attitude of the piece, she knows whether or not it will work.

Her studio walls are adorned with drawings, photographs and images from magazines for inspiration. Pascale is liberated through her paintings of high-heeled shoes, which she can no longer wear due to an ankle injury. Her expressive style is inspired by the works of Jackson Pollock.

“We are no longer confined by an ideal standard of femininity or beauty but can instead celebrate our true selves through what we wear.”