Fibreglass sculpture, hand painted with Batik pattern, plinth
145.5 x 59.0 x 40.0 (cm)
57.3 x 23.2 x 15.7 (inch)
The General of Tivoli is a recent work that sees the transformation of the once decorated, in the glory of the Roman Empire and the British Empire, interrogating a narrative of power, death and reinvention. The ruins of the General of Tivoli is embellished in “African” Batik patterns transforming it from the white marble classical body into a colourful classical sculpture. It is the decoration of power in the wrong colours. Some might say the right colours, as the original classical sculptures would have been painted in bright colours. Can the transformation and the hybridisation of icons of power be the solution to breaking down absolute binaries required by dictatorship and prejudice? Can the power of collusion and hybridisation create a third ideal which transcends prejudice?
