A Series of Self Portraits: The Valkyrie, Athena and Kali
C. Christine Fair
Artist Statement:
The first is a mosaic of a Valkyrie. In Norse mythology, the female Valkyries served Odin, the God of War. The Valkyries went into the battlefields to select those among the slain who are worthy of a place in Valhalla. The mosaic is comprised of photos of persons who either directly abused me or were complicit in their abuse by doing nothing to stop it.
The second image uses the same photos to create a composite in the guise of Athena, the Greek God of War. Like the first, this composite represents the resilience of survivor-ship. We become warriors.
The third image uses the same photos to create a composite in the guise of Kali, a goddess in Hindu Mythology who prevents her consort, Shiva, from destroying the world in a vengeful rage. As survivors, like Kali, we try to put an end to the devastation.