There are 3 elements I am working with:
the goddess who has been displaced; vanquished female power
church/religion, the blood these institutions have on their hands and their deep, deep misogyny
primogeniture and the importance of the first born son which has effectively enslaved women and, with selective abortion, now skews male : female ratios in countries like China and India and in similar ethnic groups in this country
So, how to show these in a print?
I wanted certain elements to recede and others – like blood, to be prominent on the paper. So, I worked with layers beginning with the goddess and using tissue paper for its light and translucent qualities.
First I chine colled the pink element and drew the goddess – based very closely on the Venus of Willendorf.
Next I added a blue layer and the baby boy for Primogeniture – which is written within the coils of the umbilical cord .
Finally the Bishop’s hat, hand and cross of Christianity. The final layers represent the richness of the pomp and ceremony of religion ( gold and texture) and the last layer is the splattering of blood.
More wars have been fought over religious differences and more people have died in and for its name than for any other male created institution… And with the advent of each of these institutions, we have moved away from the power of the goddess, the power of creation, Gaia.
Men have tried and succeeded in controlling creation. Women are now in some countries, merely vessels .
We talk of Mother Earth and she has been violated, plundered . Through disrespect and in an attempt to control her resources, mankind has altered a fine balance. We are all in the ditch now.
