Orpheus is a bronze cast of an etched hand mirror. The baroque inspired antique mirror has been inscribed with my initials in the form of a signature. With its black patina, the mirror will offer no reflection, thus thwarting the vanity of the beholder. Its purpose is rendered defunct: it is bereft of beauty. Orpheus is a reference to Jean Cocteau's elaboration on the myth of Orphee in the 1949 film. His characters step through mirrors, which are metaphorical gates for the passing into the world of death and back again to life.
Courtesy of Grantpirrie
bronze
24.2 x 13.7 x 1.4 cm
Finalist
Judges of the 2009 Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize: Geoffrey Cassidy (Director of Artbank), Neil Balnaves (Founder of The Balnaves Foundation) and Diane Balnaves (Trustee of The Balnaves Foundation).
Download PDF (1 MB)