Chloris

‘Chloris’ draws upon the subject of femicide, fatal male violence against women and girls. A single delicate, unfired porcelain rose, each petal bears the face of an unknown woman.

I worked with the imagery of a single rose in part for the common association with love and romance. The tragic fact is that for women who are murdered today, the perpetrator is most often a man who was supposed to love her, a partner, former partner or family member.

The title of the work, Chloris, refers to the Greek goddess of Spring and flowers. The classical myth of the origins of the first rose tells of Chloris discovering the lifeless body of her most beloved woodland nymph. Overcome by grief Chloris calls upon the other gods to transform the dead nymph into the most beautiful of flowers, a rose.