6461. Peel Street Green (34)

My children, like all siblings, take great pleasure in asking me which of them is my favourite. Because I have a pigeon pair, I say to my boy, ‘you are my favourite son’, and my girl, ‘you are my favourite daughter’. It has worked so far, but the truth is that it is possible to have different favourites for different reasons. I say all of this because Bloem is definitely one of my favourites, but I have arrived at that point through liking her style, watching her develop, and also because she is a lovely person who makes time to chat and talk about her work.

In this piece Bloem visits some of her favourite themes, a hand with long nails clutching a beautiful flower and a spiked chain. The classic coming together of beauty and jeopardy and threat. The whole thing is presented in shades of pink and set on a framed black background. This is a really mature piece with a story being told and plenty of symbolism. Great work from Bloem.