Ana Benaroya’s dazzling paintings of muscle-bound women explore notions of power and desire by exaggerating and distorting the human body. The women in her compositions exude confidence, radiating kinetic energy as they ride horses, stride through ocean waves, and speed down highways in convertibles, all whilst depicted totally nude in garish Fauvist tones.

Drawing from comic book heroes, caricatures and gig posters, Benaroya is keenly aware of the subversive power of humour, and she toes the line between funny and serious in her depictions of violence, sexuality and desire. Capturing the intensity of lesbian desire, her subjects project confidence through the way they hold their bodies and engage the viewer. In a world devoid of men, their sensuality is their own, and they know how to flaunt it for themselves and on their terms.