Katie Tomlinson
Smooch, 2024
Oil and lipstick on panel
15 x 15 cm
5 7/8 x 5 7/8 in.
5 7/8 x 5 7/8 in.
Unique
Courtesy of the artist and Brooke Benington
Smooch and Smack are two small oil and lipstick paintings which continue the theme of Under the Surface, focusing on the piranhas and their lips covered in lipstick. This is...
Smooch and Smack are two small oil and lipstick paintings which continue the theme of Under the Surface, focusing on the piranhas and their lips covered in lipstick. This is a humorous reference to Kate Mosse’s "Lipstick kiss" that was auctioned for £60,000 to Philip Green in 2006, speaking of how beauty and sex are consumed and commodified. At the same time, Tomlinson is commenting on an article about a beluga whale’s lips being covered in lipstick to amuse visitors in an aquarium – a disrespectful and violent gesture towards the animal.
