siren songs in the desert, 76x102cm / 30×40″ acrylic on cradled wood panel, 2025
Ancient Greek vases were originally used to depict mythological scenes filled with tales of morality & warning for contemporary society. ‘siren songs in the dessert’ references the ‘Siren Vase’, a vessel from 480–470 BC that depicts a key episode from Homer’s Odyssey. Sirens were mythical half-woman/half-bird creatures with beautiful singing voices. They used their magical song with its promise of knowledge of all things to lure sailors to their island. Once there, sailors would die, entranced to the end by the siren song. The ‘Siren Vase’ illustrates Odysseus tied to the mast of his ship so he can both hear yet resist the fatal, seductive song of the Sirens. His crew plugs their ears with beeswax so they can row onwards unaffected. This tale is often interpreted as a metaphor for the human struggle between temptation & rational control.
‘siren songs in the dessert’ reimagines this Ancient Greek vase painting in a post-apocalyptic moment. The sirens in this vase wander a violently transformed landscape that is baren, desolate, & void of water. Confused, they now sing their songs to no one.
The unicorn-masked figure is posed suggestively behind the siren pot. The alluring songs of contemporary society are staged, superficial, self-serving. Humans play dress up as unicorns, but it is lipstick on a pig. The fountain in the back feeds its own mouths, filling the basin with only spilled drops to share. The sirens sing a new & ridiculous song.
references
https://www.creativityandritual.com/p/songs-of-seduction-what-an-ancient
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