Cristina BanBan – I’ve got nothing to Lose
The exhibition: 'I've got nothing to lose', includes several large-scale dynamic paintings and drawings, including works made in Berlin last October during BanBan's 68projects residency. Women are the stars in BanBan's work. Ballooning to envelop the entirety of the canvas, the figures in her paintings unapologetically take up space with their flesh. Their shapely forms reclaim the traditional authority of the male gaze and reorient the significance of the female figure. Her women take on an active role in their presence, controlling the gaze of the viewer and addressing it in various positions of repose, erotic pleasure, and dominance.
68projects is pleased to present I’ve Got Nothing to Lose, the first solo exhibition in Germany by artist Cristina BanBan. The exhibition includes several large-scale dynamic paintings and drawings, including works produced in Berlin last October during BanBan’s residency at 68projects.
BanBan’s figurative work depicts voluptuous female bodies and narratives that originate from the artist’s own personal experiences. Her paintings document her everyday life and emotions with both honesty and confidence. She consistently chooses to depict bodies performing extremes of flexibility and movement.
Women are the central protagonists in BanBan’s work. Ballooning to envelop the entirety of the canvas, the figures unapologetically take up space with their flesh. Their shapely forms reclaim the traditional authority of the male gaze and reorient the significance of the female figure. These women assume an active role through their presence, controlling and directing the viewer’s gaze while addressing it in postures of repose, erotic pleasure, and dominance.
In the painting At the Studio, a reclining figure sits on a red plush chair and gazes firmly outward toward the viewer. Dressed in white shorts and Crocs, the woman lifts her bra to reveal a coral-colored nipple, held open by an oversized hand nearly twice the size of her head. The disproportionate anatomy emphasizes emotional expression rather than realism.
Individual body parts begin to embody specific emotions: confident eyes, empowering large hands, or at times shyness suggested by a seductive tilt of the head. The gestures of BanBan’s characters encompass the full complexity of emotions experienced by the artist herself.
The palette used in I’ve Got Nothing to Lose is high-key and desaturated, punctuated by moments of pop color that guide the viewer’s gaze through the composition. Rather than creating works intended purely to shock or provoke, BanBan seeks to evoke a sense of tranquillity and joy in much of her art.
A central conviction of the artist is that art should be understandable. Viewers “get” her paintings and drawings because of their directness—there is no need for supplementary explanation. BanBan portrays people from the society in which she lives, yet her strength lies not in exact likeness, but in her ability to capture character and inner life with rare and penetrating insight.
Her paintings evoke a tangible physical presence and are remarkable for their vitality, immediacy, and directness. BanBan’s art combines vibrancy, boldness, and a sense of hyperbolic humor, allowing viewers to feel close to the sensuousness of form—echoing the work of great naïve artists.
Cristina BanBan (born 1987 in Barcelona, Spain) lives and works in London. She obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Barcelona and was recently awarded the Arts Club Prize at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. BanBan has had solo exhibitions at 1969 Gallery in New York and at The Dot Project in London, and has participated in group exhibitions including Art Brussels, The Hole (New York), and Cob Gallery (London). Her works are included in the Rema Hort Mann Foundation collection and in numerous international private collections.
