6. There can only be one
Power and punches
Picture information:
92cm x 127cm, oil on canvas
The story:
Quarrels between women tend not to be carried out in the open. Instead the parties involved
often relieve their feelings by expressing their frustrations to others, usually behind their
rival's back. Men are far more aggressive and belligerent by nature. I was brought up to
believe from a very young age that violence should only be used as a last resort in self-defense
and never as a means of attack. In some way connected to this was my own personal conviction
that there is always an alternative to violence if one looks hard enough. This attitude has
always been something of a central theme for me and remains so to this day.
Men do not always express their aggression physically. They can also inflict great psychological
damage. From positions of relative safety they ruthlessly exert their power over others,
believing that by doing so they are being particularly crafty! This is rarely the case. Most
people will frequently observe such behavior throughout the course of their career. In fact,
the whole hierarchical structure of the work place emphasizes the differences in power. And
that means: those above spit on those below. This is still the general rule despite some very
good counter arguments. And what is the result? If the affected party cannot change the system,
fighting against his superiors will be a waste of time and just another strain on his nerves.
In "there's only room for one" the viewer therefore sees two Rallipan flowers in
a boxing glove, which is portrayed as a vase. One flower is standing upright and is painted
with outspread petals, a victory pose.
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The other flower is bent over to the left. It hangs limply and has also lost a petal - a petal which looks rather like a tongue, thereby signifying speechlessness to the viewer. The whole picture is a triangular composition with a clear focal point. There is the merest suggestion that the boxing glove is standing on a punch bag. As in all my pictures, the imaginary objects are freely composed and surrender the story only through thoughtful association.
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