Xanthe Condoleon
Abbotsleigh
FEARLESS FLIGHT
Printmaking
Wax, ink, mat board, leather, paper
"Never regret thy fall, O Icarus of the fearless flight; For the greatest tragedy of them all Is never to feel the burning light." Oscar Wilde.
My body of work pays homage to the myth of Icarus, whose wax wings melted when he flew too close to the sun, plunging him into the sea. This expresses my own ambition and drive for success without concern for the consequences. The large-scale wings represent Icarus's flight and fall, with one pair burnt and one dipped in wax. The book narrates Icarus's story, with abstract feathers and wax in reference to his fall.
My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Martin King, Dianne Fogwell.
Marker's Commentary
This body of work has imaginatively explored one of the great stories of Greek mythology. The work evokes the freedom of flight and the power of the wind and is united in a dramatic moral tale of Icarus and his fall from grace. Conceptually, Fearless Flight becomes symbolic for a larger story of power, ambition and its dangers. Exquisitely evocative, this printmaking submission includes different sets of wings, spread-eagled as if soaring or gliding, showing the delicacy and potential power of flight. The wing sets are accompanied by a panel of five layered monoprints in multiple colours but maintaining the limited palette of black, white and yellowy buff. Here feathers look as though they are moving across the surface, furiously fluttering, striking the page and leaving their imprint.
This submission has employed manual and digital technologies with multiple printmaking processes and different material bases including layered wax in homage to Icarus. There is a wealth of detail to hold our attention. Laser cut feathers on one set of wings form an intricate filigree pattern evoking the ornamental. A further set of wings is 3-dimensional, being comprised of multiple hinged wing cut-outs, each printed with a pattern of assorted feathers arranged in an open composition. Technical expertise is demonstrated in the printing and mark making, with expressive elements being offset by a strong graphic sensibility reinforced through repetition. The prints themselves convey a sense of being free, wild and yet flawed. The body of work plays on an awareness of our own contradictions tinged with the potential for personal transformation.