Divine Darkness: a Female Odyssey celebrates two powerful female figures — the saint and the vampire — who have inspired the artist all her life. The darker figure is inspired by Lilith who, some sources tell us, was the first wife of Adam and a primordial she-demon who was thrown out of the Garden of Eden and into a wasteland occupied by monsters. Some sources also describe her as the Mother of Vampires, which is the version explored in the exhibition.

The divine is represented by the Virgin Mary and a number of female saints who have suffered in life but have fought against the oppressive hand of patriarchy and survived because of their otherworldly powers.

Rather than understanding the vampire and the saint as opposites, they are celebrated as different and extreme expressions of female power that exist along the same spectrum. 

And why cats? Cats have lived with the artist all her life. These stoic, independent, funny creatures are grounded in reality and have become part of her identity. In the paintings, they sprinkle their magic across the spectrum, embracing both vampire and saint. Their mesmerising presence tells a tale of empowerment and resistance to oppressive rules.

The paintings create a micro-spectacular aesthetic that’s influenced by baroque art. In addition to using acrylic paint,  materials include fabrics and rhinestones with the artist acting as painter, designer, and dressmaker. Adding to the spectacle, decorative, baroque-style reliquary boxes have been created by the artist to house some of the paintings, adding a theatricality to the overall experience