Venus Correspondence (for Edwina): Evening Star, Descent and Morning Star
hibiscus and hollyhock flowers, rice paste, vinegar on cotton paper, 185 x 100cm ea, 2022
hibiscus and hollyhock flowers, rice paste, vinegar on cotton paper, 185 x 100cm ea, 2022
The triptych Venus Correspondence (for Edwina) describes the phases of the celestial body as seen from Earth; it is visible as an evening star before descending below the horizon, disappearing from the night sky and reappearing as a morning star approximately fifty days later. The paintings utilize hollyhock, hibiscus and marshmallow flowers as pigment, which are related and share correspondences to the planet Venus and the associated cycles of fertility, death and rebirth. The petals of these flowers of Venus depict each rotational alignment of the planet of love and beauty with planet Earth in the timespan between the day of my birth and my mother’s death.