Inspired by Jose de Britoc’s ‘The Martyr of Fanaticism’, ‘Praise Be’ explores a not-so-far-away reality where religion was the sole ruler of social norms. Positioning myself as the main character, I wanted to expose centuries of abuse in the name of God, recreating a torture scene taken from religion’s darkest eras. In addition to Britoc’s painting, I have now incorporated a hell scene taken from John Longstaff’s ‘The Sirens’, crossing through my body and creating a strong diagonal contradiction to the original composite structure.
As in all three works of GAG, ‘Praise Be’ does not solely aim to depict renowned torture methods that have been used in the prosecution of minority groups throughout human history. Instead, the overused dramaturgy aims to amplify the turbulent expectations society has when it comes to the origins of art. Thus, the diagonal intersection of the two paintings and their underlying meanings, function as metaphors for the choices we all have when able to consider our compliance with those practices.
