Iness Rychlik has turned her skin disease into art

To create her enigmatic self-portraits, Iness Rychlik places objects and materials on her body that trigger a strong allergic reaction (the symptoms of which are fortunately temporary) causing a noticeable redness of the skin.

She herself defines her style as conceptual eroticism . The naked body is like the canvas where the symbols of solitude and cruelty are imprinted in a subtle and evocative way, allowing women to identify themselves and claiming a collective female identity. The ancient garments and props take us back to Victorian Britain, which is the ideal setting for Iness to express her idea of ​​the female condition subjected to unfair rules.

This form of self-harm is part of an artistic expression that we can trace back to the performances and body art of the 70s and which finds very similar ethical demands in an artist like Gina Pane , which then continued up to the present day with the popular Marina Abramović.

Iness Rychlik, who is also a director, graduated in Film from Screen Academy Scotland. You recently directed and filmed two mini-documentaries on art for BBC Scotland. Her works have been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions internationally. She currently lives and works between London and Edinburgh.

To learn more you can watch this video interview and visit her website and her Instagram profile .