Marne Lucas (United States)
Title: Aurum Cascade 2’
Date: 2024
Dimensions: 20 x 16 x 1 inches framed, unique
Medium: archival pigment print, 24 karat gold leaf, silver leaf, copper leaf, watercolor, ink, glass beads, cut paper, on Hahnemuhle photo rag paper.
Description:
A self taught multidisciplinary artist and end of life doula. This collage is from Marne’s “Quietus” series which, embraces issues of mortality and transformation informed by her earlier installations and land art work where she incorporates metal leaf to address issues surrounding precious metals mining. Inspired by the intersection of the human body and its lifecycles, nature and environmentalism, and future feminist world building, her work aims to conceptualize land based physical and spiritual transformation.
“Aurum Cascade 2” is sourced from black & white photography shot on Maui and her native Hawai’i, where she returns annually for deep inspiration and healing. This image also references the presence of gold within ancient and contemporary practices of spirit and body healing rituals where gold represents heart, love, blood, generosity and compassion. In this self portrait Marne appears as a spewing waterfall guardian witch, hovering over the most precious resource, water. The skull on the rocks represents death drawing awareness to the environmental destruction resulting from destructive precious metal extraction processes. Depicting a feminist future world, the female body is featured here as a strong primordial Goddess holding female-identifying power subverting the patriarchy and protecting the land.