Teratoma

You will probably say, “What a strange painting.” Let me tell you a little about how it came to be. I once met a girl who, over a cup of tea, told me her astonishing story. A month before we met she had been in hospital for surgery to remove an ovarian cyst. This kind of cyst is called a teratoma: a small parasite that grows inside the body together with its host and can have teeth, nails, hair and sometimes even eyes. Like an alien.

Being an impressionable person, I immediately pictured it all in vivid colour. A few years later I painted this picture, imagining that such a creature could be born and lead an active life: study, go to work, go to the cinema, take the bus. I think it is very useful to fantasise, even about strange things.