Lady Gabber

Many people love to dance. Dancing is especially pleasant when it gulfs us enough to make us forget about the reality that surrounds us. During the dance endorphins that are flooding our brains are responsible for undoubted pleasure. This state can introduce us into an ecstatic dance trance. Such a trance was the main inspiration for my illustration named “Madmuazelle Gabber”. I was thinking about immersing myself in dance also during creation one of the previous illustrations named “Pussycat Devil”, but at that time it was directed more towards fantasy. In the illustration “Madmuazelle Gabber” a real subculture that clung to the Belgian underground type of electronic music called Gabber was important. It can be said that the subculture worshiped dance as a way and panacea, freeing them from the often very serious concerns of everyday life of the 90s in Belgium and the Netherlands. In the Gabber subculture, different people found their belonging. They were usually connected by one thing - very difficult conditions in which they grew up. The genre itself, despite the decline in its popularity in the 2000s, is now slowly returning to the favor of the underground. DJ Paul Elstak and Dark Raver as well as Lisa Eliaz, known as Queen of Terror are considered as the progenitors of this genre. It was created initially by reworking house bits and speeding them up. As a separate music genre, it was recognized when it settled permanently in the Belgian and Dutch clubs in the early 90s. After proper distortion of the sound accelerating the beats, it hit at a speed of 180-220 bits per minute. In 2020, this subculture returned to clothing brands related to the streetwear industry. The clothes were very similar to those worn and liked by Gabber people in the 90s. In the first phase of the illustration, a freehand sketch is created, which I then refine. First, I correct the design several times with the traditional method, then transfer the illustration to the digital world, where I shape it from a chaotic form to an increasingly clear message. As always, I also use ebru textures - paints poured on water, to cover the background and the character. Although the flow of paint on the water cannot always be controlled, the effect after using it always pleases me. I also wanted to reproduce lighting in neon colors and a glowing rim recently present in the SMOLNA club kevisual. The icing on the cake is jewelry - a chain that breaks and disappears. This is my interpretation of a popular type of neck ornament - Choker, which many people associate with the 90s. Interestingly, it is also a very symbolic type of jewelry that has appeared on the pages of history for a long time. For example, it was immortalized in the painting by Manet entitled "Olimpia" from 1863. In my illustration, it is to be an eloquent symbol of dedication to joyful stomping and dancing until the morning.