Belgium based Contemporary Artist

In her subversive fairytales, Isabella Theys mainly paints women of all ages, who have had enough of the stereotypical roles they are in, be it that of household chores victim, Bourgeois Punk, superheroine, beauty queen or career woman. The settings that surround them are witness to the socially compelling ideal. 

The irony, social commentary or issues, such as ageism, together with the complex feelings evoked by her work, depict a 'tipping point' in which rebellion, a breakdown or a decadent splurge are lurking around the corner. On the horizon lures the call for a free-er life, which, cannot however be lived without destroying the old patterns.

The crockery shatters, the wallpaper takes fire, masks come off, the golden cage needs escaping.

As a woman who portrays women, Theys knows how to perfectly capture the contradictions in their lives, and the subverting fantasy expectations of female roles, without losing herself to feminist clichés.