Paola Gandolfi (b. 1949) focuses her artistic research on the female figure and the psychophysical dynamics that define its identity. She explores inner and inaccessible territories, such as the female unconscious, drawing from psychoanalytic and feminist studies. The artist employs multiple techniques and expressive languages to shape women’s bodies, urban maps, and double figures. Through the symbolism of the river, the artwork The Thames Secret addresses themes related to the conflict between nature and identity. The River Thames takes on a maternal significance: a womb that embraces the city of London and nourishes a hybrid figure. The composition is built on a mirrored image: the upper part features an urban map, while the lower part opens into a black, dreamlike space that houses the hybrid figure, an entity composed of a child and a cat. This dual visual register represents the dialogue between reality and the unconscious.

The work thus takes the form of a visual and symbolic journey, where body and city reflect each other, revealing the vulnerabilities and submerged desires of contemporary identity.