She dipped her eye in ink
so she would not see
so she could not know
A preservation of self
grabs many forms
embodied in rivers
of scars
that
run
red
into
empty bottles of wine
that empty the mind
-Simthandile
The poem that inspired this series.
Top panel
This panel is a visual representation of unconscious psychological responses that protect people from threats and things that they do not want to think about or deal with. The brain is the location where defense mechanisms are constructed. They help shield the ego from the conflicts created by the id, super ego and reality following Freud’s psychological theories. Examples of these mechanisms are repression, projection, rationalization and passive aggression. These can be said to have a hold on the mind.
Middle panel
In a way, the manner in which various aspects of our psyche interact can be similar to that of a dinner with numerous people. So much is said in conversation, there is so much complexity in each human being and that is reflective of the rich inner world humans have even if it is subconscious. Numerous aspects of ourselves are hidden, repressed and ‘sacrificed’ in order to be accepted and feel comfortable. For instance sacrificing individuality and free thought in exchange for the herd/pack mentality. The wine is said to be representative of Jesus’ sacrifice ,his blood, his body represented by bread. His life given up for others. The series is therefore called ‘The last supper’ due to these themes . The way we ‘betray’ parts of ourselves because of the subconscious not being conscious and the awareness of this, is also similar to how Jesus revealed that one of his disciples would betray him and the disciples reaction to this.
Bottom panel
The theme of sacrifice is very dominant in this work. As mentioned wine is representative of blood in the Christian religion. The work also uses the wine as a representation of coping mechanisms. Particularly the abuse of substances and self-harm which is particularly linked to the poem and the top panel.
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Simthandile Creates 