Origins

Origins is a triptych that brings cosmic, spiritual and scientific perspectives on beginnings into relation. On the left, a vulvic form evokes the Big Bang, connecting the beginning of the universe with an image of generative potential. At the centre, the Greek goddess Hera embodies a spiritual and human notion of beginnings through her association with fertility. On the right, the DNA double helix represents genetic inheritance and the transmission of life across generations. The three artworks bring together the beginning of everything, a spiritual notion of creation and a scientific image of life’s continuity. They connect the vastness of the cosmos with the human figure and the molecular structure of DNA. Painted images distributed across transparent layers form three dimensional sculptures within illuminated display cases. Light gives the forms an ephemeral presence. Their apparent volume emerges through the relationship between the painted layers and the space separating them. Origins is in the Collection Pierre Miron, Montréal. The triptych has been presented in Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris; QAGOMA, Brisbane; ArtScience Museum, Singapore; Kunsthal Rotterdam; and the Brooklyn Museum, New York.