Scanning proximities — LAURA CEMIN

Drawings (watercolors and/or pencils) + notes, 2020/2024

From left: Mom’s cuddle, dad’s kiss, Stefano’s hug – Out of Memory — From left: *Mom’s cuddle, dad’s kiss, Stefano’s hug – Out of Memory*

The drawings are the documentation of a practice that has touch and proximity at its core.

I pay attention to what gets in contact with my body. Other bodies. Their proximity, the pressure, how this all feels. Holding this contact, I scan the surface between us, defining as many nuances, differences as similarities as possible. It might take a minute, or maybe 10. While listening to the haptic stimuli, the apparently simple task reveals a large scale of emotions. I then draw what I remember of this encounter, I visualize the data I have collected. Every color in the key corresponds to a specific touch and the whole color scheme to a feeling.
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In her Scanning Proximities series of drawings, the artist documents a practice centred on touch, scanning the points of contact between her body and the surfaces of other bodies, attempting to capture the essence of proximity. Each colour corresponds to a specific tactile sensation. Quarantined during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cemin draws on her memories to recreate these interactions, making visible the memory of a kiss, an embrace or a handshake.