Adriana Seserko | Once In A Blue Moon | SOLD
Once In A Blue Moon | 2020
Adriana Seserko
70 x 65 cm
Synthetic polymer paint on board
Covid 19 has dominated life in 2020. From the 24 hour media coverage on the spread and toll of the virus to the lockdowns and limitations on social interaction, one is constantly aware of its threatening presence. As an artist I cannot but be influenced by life events, and find myself too, unwillingly swept up in the coronavirus mania. In the case of the pandemic, it is the fear of the unknown that shapes my creativity. Fear is a great authority that governs our free will. The anxiety of losing loved ones to the virus, facing ones own mortality, and dealing with a loss of security and financial stability, overwhelm and dishearten. The sequestered existence that lockdowns enforce, see many in society alone and craving human companionship. As an artist, much of my time is spent in isolation. I paint best when I am cloistered away from the world, allowing my creativity free reign . I am not however, without feeling and too need human contact to thrive. There are many in society that are utterly alone due to Covid 19 and are suffering in consequence. The Coronavirus does not discriminate, it has impacted the lives of every human being on earth, whether they be young or old.
Symbolic, Once in a Blue Moon is my creative response to Covid 19. In April, when Australia was amidst its first nationwide lockdown, I was consumed by a need to acquire as much information as possible on the virus. I recall reading an article that first sparked my curiosity and came to personify for me, the COVID 19 pandemic. The article told of how large cats in a zoo in New York City contracted the virus from affected humans. Felines both domesticated and wild, are susceptible to Coronavirus.
An excellent hunter, the medium sized Serval rules over its domain and is at the apex of its environment. I painted the Serval with all of this in mind and used this majestic cat to symbolise humanity. Unlike the Serval, mankind does not only seek to control its immediate territory but the whole world. Like the Serval, mankind too has its vulnerabilities. One may be king and still be made powerless by a pawn.
On a side note, the cats in the zoo are victims of humanity. Animals are sentient beings that have a right to freedom, yet are hunted in the wild and left helpless to the whims of mankind. It is sad to think that many of the animals seen in zoos today are safer in captivity than they are in their native natural environments.
Swallows are carriers of lost souls, and it is for this reason that many believe it is a bad omen to slay one. I painted the swallows to represent all the lives lost to the pandemic. The dry tall grass represents death whilst the delicate blooms of the anemone nemorosa symbolise pestilence. In traditional folklore, the white woodland flowers are considered a potent harbinger of disease and in China are still thought of as flowers of death. Amongst the grasses, a dart lays, its needle point embedded into the ground. Darts are symbolic of death but too represent direction. The dart in the grass points left, which traditionally is thought of as being the wrong direction. I used the dart to show how at times throughout this pandemic, miscommunication, apathy, and indecision of our world leaders has put society on the wrong course, creating conflict and confusion, and subsequently putting lives at risk.
Large dandelions grow proudly in the tall golden grass. A wind pulls free white twirling seeds, and scatters them to the four winds. The seed heads through their shape, remind one of the physical appearance of the virus. They too represent the fragility of life and the spread of the virus around the world.
The hover flies are a metaphor of profusion and success in the face of misfortune. Although small and seemingly insignificant, they are emblems of hope and suggest with persistence, patience, and inner strength any obstacle can be overcome. The nightmare of Covid 19 can be and will be overcome.
Lastly, and the namesake of the painting, the blue moon encapsulates the rarity in which a pandemic like Covid 19 occurs.
SOLD
Adriana Seserko
Born: 1990
Adriana has been painting most of her life. Her attention to the finer detail gives her the ability to create beautifully rendered masterpieces.
Her works often engage the viewer with a moral value, she believes strongly in the preservation of our planet and painting provides her with an instrument in which her views can be expressed to the greater community
