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Series Two I
Vicissitude I - III
This series of ceramic pieces depicts ‘beauty in the
ugly’, inspired by the evocative narratives captured in
the book, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American
City written by Matthew Desmond (1). The book
documents the shattered lives of mothers and their
children who have been evicted from their homes. It
presents their ongoing struggle to find cohesion in
life; something which eludes them with every new
trial they encounter. The fragmented circumstances
of their lives are evoked through images of dung
beetles laying their eggs in dung. The dung beetles are
encircled by flies. The symbols of disintegration and
decay represent landlords, amongst others, who prey
on the vulnerable and poor. The images of depravity
are juxtaposed with tulips, elusive and ephemeral
symbols of beauty and dreams, which nevertheless
wither away amidst the vicissitudes of life.
1. Desmond, M. 2016. Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. Milwaukee
Wisconsin: Crown Books.
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