ERIDU

or The kingship came not down from heaven but up from the ores of the earth.

Made from iron filings, iron scraps, iron (II,iii) oxide, aluminium pigment, concrete, sand, dirt, sumi ink, acrylic, oil, damar resin, UV archival spray on stretched canvas.

This piece is fueled by Sumerian history and the spirits of water, metals and their ores. Eridu—an ancient temple complex cited as the birthplace of Mesopotamian power—was a marshy land of river temples and water shrines. This painting began by rebuilding one of those temples in concrete, sand, stone and paint. Colour was layered repeatedly overtop, with hidden symbols hinting at cuneiform writing. Once a living marshland of paint was in place, the architecture was decayed mechanically to simulate the passage of time and washed over in a striking Babylonian blue, then dusted with a heavy snow of scrap metals, ground iron oxides and aluminum, and spidered through with veins of black ink. A testament to the cultural, magical, and military power metals have held over us since our very human beginnings.

48" x 60"
Private Collection.