Book excerpt: Elly Strik's work - drawings and paintings on paper - features brides, birth, rituals and rebirth, witches and mystics, heaven and dreams, in a dialogue with certain aspects from El Greco, Goya, Darwin, Freud, Munch, Ensor and Duchamp.0Strik's approach is instinctive, excessive, and completely focused on itself. With her strong and poetic research she explores the potential of metamorphosis and the process of artistic creation. In her mutant-like figures, turned into shapes, portraits and figures on paper, the inner and outer look are simultaneous and create a visual provocation that forces the onlooker to reflect on the human condition. Exhibition: Reina Sofía National Art Centre, Madrid, Spain (22.1.-26.5.2014).