Garden Obscura
By Ayda Rose
exhibition preview
oCCULT FLORA & DUSKBORNE FAUNA
‘gARDEN oBSCURA’ IS AN EXHIBITON ABOUT THE NATURAL AND THE SUPERNATURAL, CONCEALMENT AND REVELATION. IT IS ABOUT DAY FADING TO NIGHT AND THE LIGHT OF A FLAME ILLUMINATING THE DARK.
‘The Fruit of The Tree of knowledge of gOOD & eVIL’
Vanquished, silent, dreaming eternally.
Grant that my soul some day rest close to Thee
Under the Tree of Knowledge which shall spread
Its branches like a Temple overhead.
From Baudelaire’s Fleurs Du Maal
THe gnostics believeD THAT the serpent in the garden of Eden was a bringer of truth & kNOWLEDGE, sent to dispel the haze of ignorance that Ialdabaoth, the Demiurge, cast upon mankind. As opposed to a ‘Fall’, the incident was seen as the enlightenment of manKIND. From the Greek perspective, Edenic serpent as Lucifer is an apt characterization. He was the personification of the planet Venus, the morning star, depicted as a light bearer, son of Aurora, the dawn.
The day flowers ready for slumber as the moon flowers unfurl. On the cusp of dusk, the orb weavers begin their machinations in earnest. The liminal spell between Light & Dark that marks a winding down of the cares of the day and a spinning up of the creative forces.
Spiders & Datura have long been associated with creativity, connection, & imagination. Both have been present in occult work & witchcraft for centuries. Datura, also known as Moonflower, has notably been used in herbal salves called ‘flying ointments’ to achieve spirit flight, a shift in consciousness that produces visions, dreams, and astral travel.
‘Golden Hour’
‘Sub Rosa’
‘Sweet secrets, or beside its breathless sleep
That loveliest dreams perpetual watch did keep.’
Percy Shelley
according to roman myth, Eros gave a rose to Harpocrates, the god of silence & secrets in exchange for his discretion about the dalliances of the gods. This story inspired the symbolism of the rose as a seal of confidentiality. something done ‘sub rosa’ or ‘under the rose’ is done in secret.
(in progress)
‘Lost in the Bindweeds’
Bindweed, more commonly referred to as Morning Glory.
The Planchettes
The iconic heart shaped plank used for automatic writing, most notably with a talking or ouija board, IS A SYMBOL OF WHAT IS BEYOND DEATH. ‘EVERYTHING DIES BUT NOTHING IS LOST’. EVERYTHING, EVEN DEATH, IS MORE THAN WHAT IT SEEMS.
I will have a small collection of these hand painted wooden panels on display. THEY WILL FEATURE VARIOUS FLORA INCLUDING POPPIES, FERNS, BELLADONNA AND MORE.
‘tO A MOTH, ENFLAMED’
A WORK IN PROGRESS
oVER aRTS wALK WEEKEND, i WILL BE WORKING ON THIS PAINTING ON SITE AT THE ROSARIUM.
mINIS, PRINTS, & FRAMED REPRODUCTIONS WILL ALSO BE ON DISPLAY.