Running at London’s Saatchi Gallery until May 11, Anne von Freyburg’s exhibition Filthy Cute, is a vibrant exploration of femininity, rococo subversion and textile craft. Her rich masquerades of femme fancy work to expose modes of feminist thought and subversions of traditional romance. We spoke to the London-based Dutch artist about how her bold fabric canvases are turning patriarchal desire on its axis.
Tactile and whimsical, von Freyburg’s large-scale pieces are astounding for several reasons. The most obvious argument is the creative’s steadfast grip on textile art. Since completing her Goldsmiths Masters in 2016, von Freyburg has garnered attention for her intricate patchwork and stitched compositions. Blended with an alchemy of acrylic inks, collaged fabric, sequins, tassel fringes and eccentric ephemera, her works reimagine textile as a medium within the tradition of painting. “It’s one of the biggest drives behind my work and my aim is to blur these [craft and fine art] boundaries,” says the artist. As well as being aesthetically compelling, the artist’s waterfalls of fanciful embellishments also hold social and personal gravitas. “Making large-scale work from fabrics that are quite kitschy and gaudy and overly feminine is really empowering and fun for me,” says von Freyburg. “It makes me deal with difficult topics and frustrations in a light-hearted way.”
The complexity of each artwork’s meaning is reflected by their elaborate compositions. Within each tableau of spooling threads, lies historical resonance and contemporary critiques on gender, identity, and commodification. While the latter three words are beloved by thesis writers and contemporary feminists, von Freyburg succeeds in reprising the emotional nature of each topic (often lost on the dregs of marked essays) by weaving narratives into each piece. Namely, the clichés and tropes that have been associated with heterosexual romance, as typically depicted in Hollywood movies and throughout popular culture.
According to the artist, stories and history come hand-in-hand with craft and decoration. “There is a lot of context and history behind fabrics… They can be used as a language in art as part of a bigger story,” says von Freyburg. “Textiles in contemporary art can be both material-driven and conceptual at the same time.” For Filthy Cute, von Freyburg is inviting viewers to observe centuries of women’s struggle for autonomy play out in candy-coloured brilliance. As von Freyburg puts it, her work is “about being free. No more fairy tales about men saving women, but women being the heroine in their own life story.” A key example of this is the artist’s reimagining of Rococo art and spotlighting the objectification of female tropes.
At the heart of Filthy Cute are two major pieces parodying paintings from Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s (1732 – 1806) The Progress of Love, a four-piece Rococo series commissioned by Madame du Barry, the mistress of Louis XV. The series, which was completed in 1771, explores the four stages of love—from flirtation to marriage and its calm aftermath. Scenes within the series, like Fragonard’s The Lover Crowned (1771-1772), depict the hallmarks of mid-18th-century Rococo: florals, pastels, evergreen facades, and bucolic heterosexual romance. Although von Freyburg subverts the patriarchal values underpinning Fragonard’s pieces, much of their pastoral beauty and vibrant charm remain present in her oeuvre. “The lush brush strokes are something that I want to keep and even exaggerate,” she says.
One of the exhibition’s key works, titled Electric Feel, is a bold, colourful reimagining of Fragonard’s The Progress of Love. The imagery is not as straightforward as in the original; instead, the focus shifts. “Through the way I use materials and saturated colours the image and story get blurred and distorted. This disorientation invites people to see the work in a new light,” says the artist. “It’s about reminding people to see beyond the surface of these historical depictions and question what is really being presented.”
Many paintings by Rococo masters like Fragonard, François Boucher (1703 – 1770), and Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684 – 1721), depict the era’s archetypal woman as desirable, vivacious, demure, and delightfully charming. She flits from painting to painting as a fixed paragon of youthful grace and elegance. Her love is won through the courtship of equally affluent, handsome men-equals in beauty and social status. As the object of admiration and romantic pursuit, the woman herself is objectified. It is this one-dimensional portrayal of love that von Freyburg reckons with in her own whimsical manner.
Pieces like My Little Pony, Hello Kitty, and Love Hearts incorporate swirling patterns and prints, expressing the idea of impressionable young minds growing up in a world in flux. Paired with more sensual materials, these works describe an evolution of sorts from a young girl to an older, empowered woman. “These elements are little signifiers for childlike playfulness, a time free of self-judgment,” the artist says. “They also remind me that that kid is still there, and it’s in all of us.” Unlike Fragonard’s serenely bountiful women, these playful references underscore a dialogue between childhood innocence and the empowered femininity of adulthood. “In a way, I take on these ‘female’ subjects to retain and reclaim its feminine identity,” says von Freyburg. “By using bright colours and shiny fabrics I make them even louder and stronger.”
Filthy Cute also includes von Freyburg’s floral series, in which the artist has looked at the still life flower paintings of 17th-century Dutch Masters like Jan van Huysum. These paintings were often commissioned by the wealthy middle class and were a symbol of global trade and wealth to display their wealth and taste. “Who consumes what, and at whose expense?” von Freyburg asks. Flower paintings of this kind were considered largely decorative and were one of the few subjects female painters were allowed to approach. “Both the flower still-lifes and the Rococo paintings were seen as highly decorative and feminine. Likewise, with textiles and sewing, it was considered to be women’s work and for a long time not taken seriously as a fine art medium.” von Freyburg’s response imbues these works with new life through exuberant textiles – renewing the significance of the traditional flower painting while celebrating the feminine.
The artist critiques not just the historical treatment of the subject but also the modern-day fetishization of luxury and consumption. “In Kabloom, I used pop art symbols to emphasize the commodity aspect of its history, but at the same I’m also critical about art as a commodity.” Like Kabloom, a piece called Tuttifrutti, which incorporates snakeskin fabric and exotic bird ornaments, plays with the idea of commodity fetishism and the Western obsession with exoticism. von Freyburg elaborates, “Both works are partly a post-colonial critique and exaggerate the exoticism of the West for foreign objects and flowers.” This exploration of global trade, capitalism, and consumerism is reflected not just in the florals but in the materials themselves, which include pop art symbols and textiles that emphasize the artificial nature of beauty and luxury. The poignancy of these pieces is rooted in today’s unstable economic climate. According to the artist, “we are at the height of globalism and capitalism. People and the environment are getting exploited because of consumerism.”
Upon reflecting on von Freyburg’s exhibition, its elusive title feels apt. Like the multiple meanings running through each artwork, the words Filthy Cute may seem playful at first, but they hold a deeper, subversive meaning. Inspired by the lyrics of a Prince song, the phrase references the sexualization of a young, innocent female figure, turning her into a mere object of desire. von Freyburg explains, “The words sound fun and innocent but are actually quite degrading. In the song, it’s used to sexualize the subject and make her into a sexualized object. She is childlike but still dirty enough to have sex.” The juxtaposition of “filthy” and “cute” sets the tone for an exhibition that uses both humour and critique to destabilize traditional notions of femininity and the male gaze.
The future looks bright for the artist, and fans can look forward to her first solo show with K Contemporary in Denver USA (opening on November 8). The show will feature two pieces inspired by Fragonard’s The Progress of Love (as seen in Filthy Cute). The next chance to see her work in London will be from May 28 at St. Bartholomew the Great, titled Slipping the Veil.
Anne von Freyburg’s work is on view at Saatchi Gallery in London from March 28 to May 11, 2025. Click here for more.
words. Raegan Rubin
