Ladies-Not-Waiting: Las Meninas and CenTauress
Exhibition statement
Suzy Birstein's work springs from her fascination with the magic and wisdom of a host of female figures from mythology, fairytale, history, and popular culture. Born of the interplay between aesthetic processes and formed intuitively using fired clay, patina, collage, and oil on canvas, Ladies-Not-Waiting comprises a charming and mysterious sisterhood inspired by Diego Velazquez's masterpiece Las Meninas (Ladies in Waiting).
Unlike the women in Velazquez's time, Birstein's contemporary Ladies-NotWaiting are truly honoured. The CenTauresses are the female equivalent of ancient Greek centaurs, mythological beings who exude mischief and play, healing and mentorship. The costumed Las Meninas are gentle women-warriors nurtured by the past, responsive to the present, and driven by a desire to shape fulfilling destinies for themselves and kindred souls. Cherishing these wise ones, Birstein amalgamates old world majesty and contemporary charisma: think Queen Nefertiti meets Carmen Miranda or Ganesha meets Lady Gaga.
Facing both forward and backward, the Janus-faced Ladies-Not-Waiting conjure the power of ancient and contemporary world cultures. They express age-old wisdom with the strength and self-determination of modem woman. "Golden Las Meninas," for example, literally the golden girl, wears a helmet of golden horns and bird upon her elaborate Egyptian coif. On one side, she carries a bowl ready to receive life's offerings. On the other side is Bastet, the Egyptian Cat goddess who is protector of women's secrets, fertility, childbirth, and good health. This character is no lady in waiting: she becomes, along with fellow CenTauresses, her own knight in shining armour.
Such playful re-workings ofVelazquez's Las Meninas painting invigorate the sombre work with Birstein's vibrant glow, stirring the viewer's imagination as they search for clues within each piece's many references to mythology and art history. Characters have the freedom to give and receive love. Where Velasquez stands in the original, Birstein now stands with her Ladies-Not-Waiting. The viewer is central to the composition, mirrored within it-but paradoxically so is the artist, self-depicted in the very work being composed.
This is the first installment of several reworkings of canonical self-reflexive pieces-including works by Jean Fouquet, Jan van Eyck, Edouard Manet, and