Grace hawkins, Daphne, 2021
acrylic and wool blend fibre, wood
30 x 28 cm
The 'Daphne' series was born out of a desire to interrogate the use of the Ancient or Mythic woman in western art history, particularly in pre-raphaelite, romantic and academic paintings, which spiralled out into a broader interest in monstrous women and narrative depictions of femininity.
I have a pre-occupation with the Greek myth of Daphne and Apollo, wherein the God Apollo becomes infatuated with the nymph Daphne, who ultimately turns into a laurel tree to escape his advances. Apollo uses branches from her tree to create a wreath, ostensibly for the love of Daphne, which became a cultural symbol of both Apollo and victory. This very literal taking of a woman's body for male aggrandizing and the obfuscation of Daphne’s assault has served as a narrative vessel for my own consideration of how women are made both palatable and monstrous, both object and other within the western art tradition.
'Daphne' is heavily process based, as each tapestry goes through stages of studying the source painting, elaborating the sketch into an almost pixelated knitting pattern from which I can produce the colour-worked final piece. This process situates the women clearly into the lineage of women’s work, reflects the transformative qualities inherent in the ancient stories referenced and relates back to the obfuscation of female trauma in myth and fine art.

Other Works in this series are below:
Untitled #1 (Daphne study 2021
Untitled #2 (Daphne study) 2021
Daphne (pink and red) 2021