Wolves, Brides and Fairytales
“Wolves, Brides and Fairytales,” is an art installation reminiscent of a walk in the forest of a fairytale. Following a path of stones and fallen sunflowers, one encounters images of wolves, mythic and real, on cardboard, felt, burlap and video. There are also embroidered chiffon textiles, suggestive of brides/princesses and other symbolic objects, often employed in fairytales to represent magic and disguise.
I am interested in the archetypes represented in the old tales and their psychological/feminist underpinnings as explored by Clarrisa Pinkola Estes in her book, “Women Who Run with the Wolves”. For example, in the story of “Blackbeard and his Wives,” women who forfeit the use of their intuition suffer consequences. This is presented in contrast to Mother Wolf who teaches her pups well about the dangers in the wild.
