As wide-ranging localizations swept around the world earlier this year in response to the COWID-19 threat, intimacy has become dangerous. For the artist, Käthe Butcher, losing a hug or a kiss on the cheek was an incredibly difficult task. “The pandemic hit everyone in different ways. I always thought I wasn’t the kind of person who easily got scared and/or paranoid, but I did in March. I panicked and felt very alone, which was one of the reasons I left London at the end of March to go back to my family. It was definitely the right decision,” she says.
The culmination of this desire for connection was the “Garden Hug” – an emotional visualization of two women holding on to each other. Their botanical clothing swaddled their separate bodies and the singular stems jumped out of their sleeves, adding a little quirkiness. Like her other drawings, she explores a large collection of Butcher’s Works (NSFW) on Instagram – this illustration visualizes emotional depth and intimacy.
Replicating with floral motifs and delicate lines, Butcher’s works tend to focus on one or two figures that are both confident, carefree, and elusive at the same time. Carved out with thin ink lines, women depict many experiences, moods, and personalities. “Femininity can be everything and nothing.” She is an individual. For me personally, it’s something elegant and at the same time strong,” she shares with Colossal.
The Butcher is currently in the process of leaving London for his hometown of Leipzig, Germany, and is reflecting on the role of artistic practices at the moment. As for many artists, this situation has been and remains an obstacle to great creativity. It is exhausting. It’s like sneaking through the mud. But at the same time, it is like the beginning of something new, more,” she says.
To buy the imprint of the artist’s tender visualization, take a closer look at what’s in her shop.
