(Polemology: study of war)

The implications of ‘the global village’ has been a feature of my work since SISTERS OF MERCY (1996), but in POLEMOS the focus is more acute.

The beast-person symbolises the mask of untruth. It is also symbolic of threat, fear, and political and moral uncertainty. And yet the body of the beast-person is a vulnerable young female.

I wanted to challenge the notion of mankind’s capacity for control (either of himself or others), and to create unexpected conjunctions, such as in Caught where a defenceless chair is held hostage. In Bully, a small hill is captured, its territory marked with red flags.

War, of course, wears a uniform. In a culture of deception, a uniform can be seen as another mask, another symbol of untruth. In uniform, we can become insentient and desensitised. The uniform becomes its own justification.

I have made a point of ‘stealing’ or ‘capturing’ backgrounds (territories) from previous paintings of mine (Urban Dialogue), or from paintings of others, ie. John Kinder’s watercolours of early New Zealand settlements (Lighten up, history is You). These acts of ‘artistic colonisation’ feed into some of POLEMOS’ themes, such as intrusion and domination.

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