The velvet of the skin meets the light of the scales and feathers of a foreign body. The snake and the owl, chthonic symbols at the junction between the human and underground worlds, night and day, carry with them the roots of the world and the myths of a remote time, and dialogue, nose to nose or mouth to mouth with the pearl white bodies and the velvety roses of the pearly crack of a shell… Here we are at the beginning of our meeting with the Australian photographer Petrina Hicks.
Internationally exhibited, and present in many private and public collections, the photographer works the analogical matter with requirement, like a classical painter the precision of her drawing. At first glance, the fluid curves, the adjusted bodies, and the distant or hidden looks behind their smoked glasses create beings with floating sensualisms, impassive expressions, and frozen movements. Since her debut in 2004, Petrina Hicks’ photographs have been reminiscent of the ancient sculptural tradition. Yet, a magical aura emerges. The Unbearable Lightness of Being, The Gaze, Fly through the candle like a wingless moth… could the titles of her series be the first words of a psychological tale? Would these sculptural beings crossing humans and animals open us to a chimerical imagination? Seduction becomes the place of detour and invites dialogue. The photographer takes us into the unexpected of bodies, at the edge of beauty, when perfection gives way to the living.
Petrina Hicks
Represented by Michael Reid Gallery
https://michaelreid.com.au/
Ana Bordenave