Narelle Autio THE EYES OF HER

 〰️ The Eyes of Her 〰️
Across the ocean, under the waves.
Calming the sea gods.
She calls us,
Into the undersea.

Artist Statement

Holding a seashell to my ear, I hear a faint whisper in the air. 

A story of otherworldly creatures… Sirens and mermaids, once desired for their wisdom, now dangerously feminine and full of suspicion.

They call us with a beautiful ancient song, irresistible and full of sweet sorrow. Like Eve before them, our destruction is in their slight hands. Throwing away mortal lives and responsibility their victims plunge into the abyss. 

A fatal kiss. Accountability lost, sinking into the deep. A tidal force that washes in and out. History repeating. Time and again. Condemned since the beginning of time… the tender sounds of beauty sing on.

Across the world, folk tales regale us with tales of mermaids, selkies and water sprites. Otherworldly creatures enticing us into the sea. 

In the stories of old, being lost to the ocean seems not enough. There is a need for the cause to be supernatural. And not only in the cause of demise, but with the promise of living on in another form. Human but not quite. Throughout history and cultures, sirens have called out to sailors over the waves, inspiring them to dive into the unknown… And the call is irresistible, full of longing and otherworldliness and tied up with superstition and contradictions surrounding women. 

There seems to be a fine line that women have balanced. Attempting to follow rules created by a society they had no control over, often mistrustful of feminine wiles.  This seems uniquely tied up in these ancient maritime stories. Women were once banned from sailing on ships but often their hyper feminine shape (as a mermaid or other) was celebrated as the figurehead of a ship, guiding the crew safely across the sea. Burnt at stakes, banished from Eden, banned from voting, woman have paid a price throughout history for their desirability. Forever tied up with guilt and mistrust. There was power in female beauty but delusion and terror as well. Perhaps there still is. 

‘The Eyes of Her’ is presented as part of the 2024 SALA Festival.

Enquiries to mail@hugomichellgallery.com