‘I read Casanova’s memoir when I arrived on the residency to get a taste of eighteenth-century Venice. He describes Venice as a kind of mecca for pleasure. This painting is based on Carnival Scene (The Minuet), 1754–55, by Giandomenico Tiepolo depicting the Carnival at its peak, when it ran for six months each year. I wanted to capture a sense of pleasure in the paint texture, the sumptuousness of the silky dress, and a feeling of dancing movement as many different revellers and commedia dell’arte characters from many different art historical paintings overlap and collide.’

Flora Yukhnovich, May 2020