Fiona Rae
Sprite
2000

Oil, acrylic, glitter on canvas
153 x 127 cm 

Inv. no. 3465
Museum Morsbroich, Leverkusen
Acquired 2003

Fiona Rae
1963, Hong Kong (HK) / lives in London (UK)

Fiona Rae’s work Sprite almost seems like a computer screenshot blown up to larger than life proportions. A dazzling pictorial event plays out against a monochrome background. It is composed of three easily recognizable asterisks sending a purple greeting from the realm of comics, of opulently designed capital letters, and of ambiguous, fragmentary, at times enigmatic signs—for example, organic white shapes or the meanderings of disparate lines. The effect is underscored by intense dynamism, luminous color, and the prop-like character of the image particles that seem to have been hot-wired with Photoshop.

The title Sprite affords different interpretations. In English, “sprite” refers to ghosts and goblins as well as lightning bolts shooting up into the firmament. The name is shared by both a Japanese manga series and a soda made by Coca-Cola. 

As part of the Young British Art movement that explored the contemporary possibilities of abstract painting, Fiona Rae’s works were presented in five group exhibitions at Museum Morsbroich from 2003 to 2019.