Martine Poppe: Anatidaephobia, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery

Anatidaephobia, if you weren’t aware that such a word existed, is the fear of being watched by a duck. It is also the name of the exhibition by London-based Norwegian artist, Martine Poppe, at Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery.

Martine Poppe, Slade graduate has a growing buzz around her paintings, so much so that her work is now held in the Saatchi collection.

The exhibition comprises of works from Poppe’s ongoing Analogical Change series, examining the relationship and the subsequent distance between an original subject and the finished work.

Poppe’s paintings are made up of complex painterly layers which take on an almost sculptural quality. Through the meticulous layering of brushstrokes, the original image, which Poppe derives from photographs, becomes even more obscured through repetition.

Viewed from the front, the viewer is presented with the finished product – it's the stuff of blissful hazy dreams- viewed from the back one discovers a completely different image, some revealing golden ducks. It’s a strange and beguiling hunt; and by the end of it you’ll leave feeling the ducks are watching your every move.