Untitled

In 2017, Anne Imhof took over the German Pavilion at the Venice Biennale with Faust, an immersive installation-performance that earned her the Golden Lion. In this monumental work, the artist explores recurring themes in her practice: control, rebellion, submission, and resistance.
The pavilion was transformed into a cold and oppressive space, intersected by an elevated glass structure, forcing visitors to observe the performers from a position of domination or submission. Moving slowly above or below the transparent panels, the performers embodied a world of surveillance and alienation, where the body is both exposed and confined.

In this context, Untitled (2017) takes on its full meaning. The portrait of Eliza Douglas, Imhof’s muse and a central performer in Faust, reflects on isolation and silent rebellion. The use of chiaroscuro enhances the dramatic atmosphere: her partially nude body emerges from a dark background, while her half-turned face appears absorbed in an opaque inner world.
A subtle but significant detail is the cap she wears, bearing a slogan, echoing visual references from urban culture. In Faust, where rebellion is suggested but restrained by invisible structures, this painting captures a frozen moment of tension—a contained force, a presence haunted by the oppression of the contemporary world.