artsdiary.co.nz TM
Scott Lawrie Gallery at Silo Park - Group exhibition - The Confessions - 10/07/2022
ALSO SEEN in JULY 2022
"I have something of an obsession with the infamous Scottish witch hunts conducted
in the 16th and 17th centuries. They were desperately cruel, barbaric events of
mass hysteria and misogyny - resulting in thousands of innocent women being
cruelly strangled and then burnt at the stake.
One of these women was Isobel Gowdie. Her shocking confessions of witchcraft -
probably a result of ergot poisoning - were confounding to the religious and
legal authorities of 1662, and only served to heighten the deep paranoia of
individuals, which quickly transformed into the madness of crowds. Who would
have believed we're perilously close to something similar today; women
suffering from oppression and patriarchal control over their bodies.
It's no surprise that witch hunts usually took place at times of political and
social upheaval such as those we are witnessing today. The rise of cancel
culture, the hysteria of the virtue signallers, the shrill accusations, and the
frightening delusions of the religious right have shifted from fringe theories
and eccentric beliefs to mainstream narratives in the new culture wars."
- Scott Lawrie, Director, Scott Lawrie Gallery
INGA FILLARY:
Inga Fillary | Rebecca Wallis | Rebecca Hazard |
Amadoe Grosman | Patricia Piccinini | Monique Lacey