Power and presence

Cristina BanBan, a Barcelona-born artist now based in Brooklyn, captures the essence of womanhood with her lush, large-scale paintings. Known for her exaggerated figures, BanBan’s work combines personal memories with a modernist touch. Her recent exhibitions in New York, London and Tokyo showcase her unique style that balances between figuration and abstraction, celebrating the power and presence of women​. A dynamic force in the contemporary art world that keeps creating extraordinary art with every brushstroke. 

hube: Your exhibitions often explore themes of womanhood and strength. How do you see the role of women evolving in the contemporary art world, and how does your work contribute to this dialogue?

Cristina BanBan: I think the fact that we are still asking this question speaks for itself. I want to believe there is fairer representation for women in the arts, but we still have a long way to go. Women have always been the focal point of my practice, and over the years, I have noticed my own depictions of womanhood evolve and become more nuanced. Now, I see a more pronounced contrast between the personal and the universal in my work. While I use myself or models as starting points, my figures today exist beyond traditional portraiture.

h: Could you describe your process of transitioning from initial sketches to the final large-scale paintings? What challenges do you encounter during this transformation?

CBB: I select a set of images that inspire me, using photographs of models or images collected from the Internet. This first process is intimate, almost meditative, where I build images with simple lines to understand how the composition will work. It’s a moment of introspection where I begin to feel the colours and mood of the painting. As this grows, the work becomes much more physical and visceral, with my emotions taking control. The initial drawing becomes a guide or reference. The challenge is to ensure the result reflects this transformative process, with the image being impactful and the colours creating a dialogue between the figures and the background.

h: Your work balances elements of modernist figuration with gestural abstraction. How do you navigate and integrate these styles in your compositions?

CBB: Figuration is the language that came most naturally to me. But the freer I feel, the more abstract the work becomes, allowing me to detach from the realism I know. My goal is to achieve a balanced conversation between almost realism and pure abstraction.

h: Many of your paintings are autobiographical. How do personal experiences and memories influence your creative process and the themes you explore?

CBB: The women in the paintings have all kinds of features and shapes; sometimes they look like me, but sometimes they don’t. Finding myself in the work affects the way I paint, perhaps in the expressions, the use of colour, or the movement in the brushstrokes.

h: You mentioned that painting is like keeping a diary for you. Could you share a specific painting that is particularly significant to you and explain why?

CBB: I don’t think I have a particular painting, but every show is very emotional. You spend months deeply involved in building a group of works, becoming attached to them, and mourning their absence at the end. I always say I learn so much from each show. The preparation and process opened me up and helped me grow both in my practice and as a person.

h: You’ve exhibited in various cities around the world, including New York, London and Tokyo. How do different cultural contexts influence your work and its reception?

CBB: The city that inspires me the most is New York since it is where I live and work. I decided to move here because of the endless opportunities the city offers to see art and engage with the contemporary art world.

h: The title of your recent exhibition, La Matrona, is rich with historical and mythological meanings. Could you explain how these meanings are reflected in your works?

CBB: The entire work focuses on the idea of sisterhood, a group of women with an inexplicably powerful bond. The title La Matrona (which can be translated as midwife) epitomises that womanly power, literally the bringer of life. I wanted a powerful name that conveyed the prominence and strength of womanhood, which also implies tenderness and protection.

h: Your technique involves both oil and acrylic paints. What draws you to use these mediums, and how do they complement each other in your work?

CBB: I mainly work with oil paint at the moment, but I think it’s important to change once in a while, try different things, and make yourself uncomfortable with a new medium. My goal is to keep learning and changing. I love to experiment with new ways to move paint.

h: Looking forward, what new themes or techniques are you excited to explore in your future projects? How do you see your work evolving over the next few years?

CBB: I want to continue with a lot of energy and curiosity, which pushes me to keep evolving as a painter. In the next few months, I will dedicate myself to an intense study of poetry and produce a series of works based on this research. I can’t say much right now, but it will be for a museum in Spain, and I am very excited about the project.