Radix me (Root me)

Concept art: 

Clay sculpture made for a project and was in the exhibit "Tee/Paus" in Pallas Galerii

Sculpture size (approximation): 36cm x 34cm x 47cm

Depicting two alien lovers in a loving embrace. At first the sculpture didn't have a big meaning behind it but like a lot of other pieces the meaning tends to come in later. Either after it has already been finished or during the process it mingles and forms into something else. While drawing the concept I simply went with whatever kind of design came to mind. For some reason I imagined a tentacle masculine alien (kind of inspired by mindflayers) and a fungi based one (cause I simply love fungi and any designs related with them) and started drawing the concept art. Originally the sculpture as well was supposed to be coloured but due to time restraints and mental health I stuck with the clay. Also 2 reasons why I'm scared of putting this into any ovens: The amount of fragile details that I didn't account for and two plastic knives inside the sculpture that were used as supports to keep the fungi aliens arm and head up. The pose of the fungi alien is inspired by Eduard Wiiralt's piece "Kalevipoeg puhkamas" ("Kalevipoeg resting") (1917).

 The piece turned into a show of yearning. Yearning of a lover, of love, of a warm embrace, being comfortable, of being fully accepted as yourself with that same lover. As someone who at the time (and maybe still) has only been in long distance relationships and never physically intimate with anyone, it's very hard not to yearn for something that you crave and maybe to some extent need. The humanoid aliens, human yet not, is like an amalgamation of my familiarity with love and intimacy in a romantic or even sexual setting yet it's foreign and alien to me. There's some distance to it. Familiar to some extent through how much love you can show through long distance and media I've consumed and art I've created. In a way the fungi alien could be me. Bit more human looking and bit more familiar with my own love. The other alien a tad more alien with lack of in person connections romantically. 

One of the reasons out of many of why I express so much romantic aspects of relationships in my art rather than platonic like queer platonic relationships are or anything with family and friends, is also cause of that sense of yearning. And I love. Well. Love. I have so much love to give I can't even be monogamous. If I end up falling for more than one person at a time then that's simply it. But humans are complicated. I also love friendships and crave for connections but that's more attainable than what I seek and have been missing out on.

Some people have said that the sculpture looks like one is eating the other. Which I find quite funny but also find interesting to think about it with that perspective. Love can also be consuming. In a negative, positive way or it stands in a gray zone of neither yet both. Maybe blissfully unaware as one is being eaten alive or accepting the love they are being received.

( 05.01.24 )