06 Chris Bennie
The Waves (Achilles) | 2015 | digital print on board | 150 x 100 x 2 cm
Sunshine Coast Art Prize 2016 – Finalist
[Image courtesy of the artist]
Chris Bennie | The Waves (Achilles) | 2015 | digital print on board | 150 x 100 x 2 cm
Artist Statement
In The Waves series I have appropriated images of waves from popular surfing magazines, omitting the surfer in favour of a straightforward depiction of water. In their place representations of classical characters (or deities) sit conspicuously aplomb a mobile device. Achilles, Apollo, Krishna, Gilgamesh and Enkidu protrude from the images in the series; staring down the face of waves or up at its crest. The ability to swipe a mobile device places the project in a contemporary context, while the dialectic between water (its power and destructive potential) and mythology grounds the project in a classic framework.