Kandake
DESCRIPTION
'Kandake' is available in the following formats:
A5 Greetings Card
A4 Unframed/Framed Print
Limited Edition. Epson archival pigment print on Hanemuhle William Turner 190gsm. Signed by the artist.
Original. For the discerning collector of Dark Surrealist Art. With signed Certificate of Authenticity.
PRODUCTION
The open edition printing is done at the Southside Rehabilitation Association (SRA) Copyshop, a local charity rehabilitating adults recovering from mental health issues into the workplace. Every sale of a card or print therefore benefits SRA.
The limited edition/giclee prints are from Chris Clack's Dulwich Printing Services in South London, a well-established local fine art printer that I have worked with for the past 10 years.
SHIPPING FOR FRAMES & MOUNTS IN EU
If you're interested in purchasing a mounted or framed reproduction of my artwork, kindly reach out to me directly. Please provide the specific details of the artwork you desire, specify whether you prefer a framed or mounted version, and include your shipping information, including your home address.
Kandake, 2013
Kandake was created in 2013 and was a return to the usual surreal style after the more illustrative 'Redemption' and 'Paean to Whitby'. It began with a pastel piece – ‘Rice Angels’ – which I had completed in April of that year.
The original pastel piece, ‘Rice Angels’, was a tribute to those unseen women who have supported empires through their unwavering hard work in the paddy fields of South-East Asia. Its reinterpretation in ink was the springboard for ‘Kandake’., which appeared in 2013, one year after ‘Paean to Whitby’. This artwork seems more piecemeal and haphazard than others: drawing on diverse scientific, historical and metaphysical inspirations. Yet ‘Kandake’ – the name my wife and I gave to our daughter – is an artwork that celebrates life. Thus the Central Staircase in the middle of the piece is decorated with a banister made of ejaculating phalluses and pencils – both producers of creativity.
The ‘seeds’ can be seen to be soaring and germinating at the top of the picture. The same theme – that of propagation – is continued in the bottom left where a cloud of breasts feed a matrix of roots which produce plants – the Egyptian symbol for life – the Ankh – can be seen, as well as the chemical symbols for water, carbon dioxide calcium, sodium and carbon – all essential to life. So there are nods to history – the story of human life – the SPQR of the Roman Empire (mid-bottom) as well as the Kandake or Queen Mother of the Aksum Empire (bottom right), from which the piece takes its name. The Kandake would lead their troops into battle and one queen – Amanirenas – was one of the few monarchs of classical antiquity to halt the mighty Roman Empire.
Perhaps as a reference to the spread of human life across the face of the planet, geographical elements feature more in this artwork than others – at least 3 continents make an appearance - as well as the ‘Rice Angels’ of Asia, as mentioned there is the Kandake of Africa and the Roman standard of Europe. This artwork seems more frivolous and less dark than some previous pieces, almost playful - perhaps to offset the Gothic art being created in the same year (which can be seen at WhitbyGothic).