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Hidea DeGorgia at the Leslie Lohman Gallery Beyond Beauty Show
August 12-28 1999. Leslie Lohman is a queer friendly Gallery in SOHO, NYC. The Beyond Beauty Show was a group show sponsored by the Radical Faeries.
Hidea DeGorgia is a name that was given to me in reaction to my artwork and my drag style. Pronunciation? Well, think "hideous" with a feminine ending. It is a reflection of the duality of my natal moon in Gemini - of finding beauty in the parts of the world which others call trash, ugly or not worthy of being seen. I have studied tarot and the patterns of the stars for 13 years. Much of my artwork is a claiming of the ancient symbols which mystics have dwelled on for centuries. The gods are among us, and I try to allow them to manifest in my work.
I find that the most appealing aspect of mixed media sculpture is the variety of steps taken to create a piece. Each character grows over time, and since they are toys, they are always a work in progress as I make new environments or clothing for them. From the time I collect and categorize the found objects, appliance parts and hardware, each puppet begins a gestation period. While a pair of hands is being woven together with screws and keys, I may be planning a way to make his arms work better or how to incorporate some jewelry fragments as a flourish detail, all the while, his head stares at me from its resting place atop a box of wire at my work bench.
Each creature develops a unique personality with the feelings I get from all the parts which go into his anatomy. Certain appliance fragments call out for special attention because of the minute detail of their styling and shape. Many times, bottles, kitchen utensils or keys may carry some residual "aura" that gives them depth via their past. The wire I use is from the motors of the appliances I disassemble and the mirror shards are used in the form that happenstance has caused them to break. Beads, screws and washers are often more practical in purpose- completing and drawing the piece together. Yet they too have their own personality to the whole, be they shiny, clean and sharp or oxidized and grossly shaped.
During the assembly and finishing of each puppet, the repeated, rhythmic actions of wiring ten fingers the same way or creating a proper size sequence in a character's vertebral column, I am reminded of the methodic, ritualistic sensation of knitting, weaving or sewing. I have enjoyed these crafts since I learned to sew at age 4. Now I find it challenging and often comical to "sew" together mirrors and metal refuse.
About the work:
Oxum Rainha dos Rios
Oxum is an Afro-Brazilian goddess of love. "Queen of the Rivers," she is present in her many manifestations and paths wherever fresh water flows naturally. Her followers invoke her in song and lovemaking rituals, as she loves music, dance and parties.
Yemanja, Rainha do Mar
Yemanja is sister to Oxum and is goddess of the sea. She represents a universal, motherly love and is present in creation myths and tales of salvation.
Death
The 13th Major Arcana card of the tarot deck, Death includes symbolism of transformation, regeneration, deep subconscious thought, magic and other issues associated with Scorpio and the 8th house of astrology.
Saturn in Pisces / Neptune Descends
This piece talks about the astrological configuration in 1999 -the grand cross in the fixed signs, as it relates to my birth chart. Saturn will oppose Neptune retriggering this pattern in 2006-7. This piece features a birdcage stapace ship with the 2 mermen in a struggle. Saturn hides, greedily guarding the eternal flame of Vesta (an asteroid conjunct Saturn in my natal chart), seeking to isolate power and force structure on all he touches. In opposition to him, my natal Neptune (on my descendant) uses his powers of dissolution and ego-denial to infiltrate Saturn's realm. Neptune holds many keys to unlock the constricting forces of self-doubt and criticism, as he encourages a mystical unity with all creation. The action takes place in a watery, space age world, representing the stellar influence on my unconscious. The three flames of the rockets engines represent the three 12th house planets Saturn has transited in my chart (Mercury, Mars and Jupiter). As Neptune rips open the fuselage to the rocket, he struggles to free my energies to manifest in a new direction, unencumbered by the Saturnian status quo.
The Three of Cups
This Tarot card represents food, music laughter and good times when well-dignified and success turned to ashes and haggard, old scenes when ill-dignified. The monkey ladies in this piece are gossiping over lattes and espressos.
The Fool
Number Zero of the Major Arcana, this Tarot card often depicts a new step outward. The Orphic egg is the source of all beginnings, and the dog may represent doubt or common sense holding us back from a hasty choice.