THE GODDESS COMPLEX - Fantasia Painting

‘Fantasia’ is the first image in The Goddess Complex series. It was also one of the first images that Diriye started working on after a decade-long break from making art. In 2001, after being diagnosed with depression, he stopped painting and focused solely on writing, working as a journalist whilst writing fiction. ‘I felt disconnected from art,’ he says. ‘Here was this painful experience that I couldn’t express in my paintings. So I turned to writing and discovered that I had another outlet to voice this reality. Painting had always offered me the reassurance that if I created beautiful tableaus I would be fine. It was a way of balancing out the disorder in my life. But I felt visually depleted so I threw in the paint-box and moved on.’ A series of personal losses led him back to the art form he had always loved. ‘I started working on ‘Fantasia,’’ he says, ‘as a way of salting wounds. Art can be therapeutic. It took me a few months to make ‘Fantasia’ but that’s only because I was relearning the craft. As an artist, I’m no longer afraid of failure, and that only strengthens the resolve needed to make each image breathe.’ Using multi-dimensional textile and silk lining paint, acrylic, pencil colours and ink, the painting bears the hallmarks of his intricate style. ‘I’m influenced by artists like Alphonse Mucha, Klimt, Chris Ofili, Giger, Fritz Lang and Disney. But ultimately, the work is my own. This painting has a vivid, decorative energy but also a slightly sinister undercurrent. The characters resemble mannequins with no hands, an allusion to how disempowered I had been feeling when I made it.’

Painting:Paper on Paper

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:11.7 W x 16.5 H x 1 D in

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