Untitled

During a residency in London in 2004 Casarino began to make a series of drawings of the female body. She took photographs of herself, enlarged them, then traced the outline of the figure onto tracing paper with water. The female figure is shown in private situations that are to do with self-image. Here the figure shaves her legs – a process that is cleansing but also a way in which she ties herself to an idealised form. To Casarino the rites and routines of self-enhancement nearly cause the real woman to disappear. She notes that historically women have rarely been represented as themselves and have disappeared under layers of make-up or garments. By using water to define the body, Casarino delicately underscores this invisibility.