THE GODDESS COMPLEX - Rebirth Collage

The genesis for ‘Rebirth’ was ‘a nanosecond vision’ says Diriye. ‘I saw the central figure in my head with two Siamese ghouls sprouting from each of her shoulders. I tried chasing that mental image and although I didn’t capture it in the end, the pleasurable pursuit made up for it.’ The resulting image, which fuses collage, waterproof tattoos, mandala and butterfly stickers along with 3D paint, acrylics and pencil colours, is a blend of the whimsical, the sensual and the eerie. ‘There is no distinction between any of those qualities,’ he says. ‘The background and the central figures have an Art Deco style. But the painting owes much to contemporary pop culture. For example, the central figure’s fleshy Siamese twins must have been inspired by Lady Gaga’s meat dress. The bird-rabbit hybrid is a riff on ‘Alice in Wonderland.’ The merman collages are a take on ‘The Little Mermaid.’ The painting re-imagines the idea of rebirth as literal and science fiction. Near the bottom of the image lies a pregnant woman with an Afro composed of butterflies. Even though she is dressed scantily and striking a stripper-pose, her protruding belly has a chord tied to it. This external umbilical chord is plugged into her navel and leads directly back to her mouth: pregnancy is seen as an act of self-nourishment for the mother. ‘My feminist studies lecturer would have laughed at the idea!’ laughs Diriye. ‘A woman literally nourishing herself through her own pregnant belly whilst wearing stripper heels sounds ludicrous, and it probably is. It fetishizes an often agonising experience for women but I think in a joyous way.’

Collage:Paper on Paper

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:11.7 W x 16.5 H x 0 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.