Olivia Sterling
And her warm chest is a sweet grave, 2024
Acrylic on canvas
160 x 140 cm
63 x 55 1/8 in
63 x 55 1/8 in
A woman opens her window and is scared by the large dog passing by. I tried to get the wolf’s head to turn and bite the Jammy Dodger nipples -...
A woman opens her window and is scared by the large dog passing by. I tried to get the wolf’s head to turn and bite the Jammy Dodger nipples - like in cartoons when an animal is so hungry that the animal it's trying to eat turns into human food - a pie, a cake etc - but I couldn’t get the composition right. She’s transformed into an object a la René Magritte’s ‘this is not a Pipe’ painting mixed with his other painting The Son of Man, where an apple floats in front of a face. Biscuits float above her nipples, confusing as to whether they are her nipples or hiding them. Is she editable or is she just seen as edible? The trickery of the figure’s nipples becoming edible objects aims to mimic my mixed feelings of consumption and desire - that desire feels all consuming. That to be desired is to be consumed, like food. And that to be a woman, or a feminine person, is to be seen as an object and therefore consumable. The phrase ‘being offered up on a plate’ comes to mind here. In the show I flip flop between wanting to be desired but feeling undesirable and unable to understand desire or unable to understand that I am desired.
I think of the Avery Tex wolf cartoons here; the chase between the wolf's love interest and it ending in the reverse where an old woman runs after the wolf, the old woman usurping the wolf’s position as dominant aggressor. The action scenes of this feral old woman is the basis for Lydia’s painting - mine are about interacting with the dog/wolf that represents sexuality/libido/autonomy.
I think of the Avery Tex wolf cartoons here; the chase between the wolf's love interest and it ending in the reverse where an old woman runs after the wolf, the old woman usurping the wolf’s position as dominant aggressor. The action scenes of this feral old woman is the basis for Lydia’s painting - mine are about interacting with the dog/wolf that represents sexuality/libido/autonomy.
STAY IN THE LOOP & JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
* denotes required fields
We will process the personal data you have supplied to communicate with you in accordance with our Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe or change your preferences at any time by clicking the link in our emails.