-
Artworks
Alexis HUNTER New Zealand, 1948-2014
Gender Confusion: Succubus/Incubus, 197710 colour Xeroxes in 2 framed panelsEach: 114 x 40 cm'A cat and a rat, pictured thirteen years apart: which is lust and which desire? Which the succubus – the sexually voracious female demon that preyed on sleeping men –...'A cat and a rat, pictured thirteen years apart: which is lust and which desire? Which the succubus – the sexually voracious female demon that preyed on sleeping men – and which the incubus, its male counterpart? A number of Hunter’s paintings carry elements from Henri Fuseli’s painting The Nightmare (1781) which showed a sleeping young woman arched across a bed with a dog-faced incubus squatting on her lower belly (that work was so celebrated in its day that it inspired a similar scene in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.) Lucy Lippard has written about Hunter deliberately playing with legibility in her photo series, denying us a clear view into the action. She also describes their “about to happen-ness.” Not only can we not quite make out what it is we’re seeing, we’re made aware that we’re only party to a glimpsed fragment within a sequence of events that extend before and after. A cat and a rat move around a woman’s naked lap. Her hand seems to coerce and manipulate their actions, though who is tormenting – or pursuing – who remains unclear' - Hettie JudahExhibitions
Alexis Hunter: 10 Seconds, curated by Natasha Hoare, Richard Saltoun Gallery London, 6 February - 30 March 20242of 2
Join our mailing list
* denotes required fields
We will process the personal data you have supplied to communicate with you in accordance with our Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe or change your preferences at any time by clicking the link in our emails.