detail, 'Sancta Maria & the perpetual drip'
detail, 'Sancta Maria & the perpetual drip'
detail, 'Sancta Maria & the perpetual drip'
detail, 'Sancta Maria & the perpetual drip'
She burns, therefore she is
Candle wax, embroidery and beads on canvas and paper
750 x 970 mm
2024
"She burns, therefore she is is a mixed media work depicting a looming Virgin Mary formed from candle wax drippings, surrounded by rosaries and embroidered fruit. These elements - symbols of modesty, femininity, and faith - highlight the ways women are idealised and sexualised, even within religious frameworks that promote purity.
The work draws inspiration from The Virgin Suicides, particularly the novel’s exploration of cause and effect, and the persistent romanticisation of the Lisbon sisters. In referencing the method of one sister’s suicide - carbon monoxide poisoning - I incorporate materials that rely on combustion and burn: candles, matches, scorched surfaces. These mediums embody a dual process of creation and destruction, reflecting the collapse of idealisation when confronted with reality.
The Catholic imagery, drawn directly from the novel, plays a central role. Wax - a material associated with ritual, purity, and sanctity - deteriorates with use, forming grey and yellow streaks that mar its clean surface. This deterioration becomes symbolic: the desecration of an ideal, the quiet unraveling of what is venerated."
