The Beauty Trap

Collage transferred to lightbox in an edition of 3. The Beauty Trap is a large scale collage of paper cut-outs from recycled printed materials such as magazines and auction catalogues, and from digital printouts of jewellery and gems. Thousands of images were used and even the tiniest piece reflects the hue of a precious or semi-precious stone, turning the arrangement into a brilliantly coloured scenery with infinite designs, shades and subtle graduations. The title refers to the controversial concept of beauty, which in contemporary times has been associated with attractive, decorative or shallow. However, there is more to beauty than meets the eye. Umberto Eco in his twin publications On Beauty and On Ugliness alludes to the changing and elusive nature of both notions. Entitled The Beauty Trap, the work recycles desire into desire, from the attraction to gems to that of art. The collage captures the battle between the material and the spiritual worlds, plays on the transience of ownership, and questions the nature of superficiality as opposed to the soul at the heart of all matter. Brillantism, the artist calls it, the skill to bring out the sparkle in matter by capturing, reflecting and withholding light. The appeal of the gem minerals was so great that since ancient times and across cultures, they have been bestowed with mystical powers and are whispered to protect, empower, heal but also harm, bring misfortune or put a curse. Each stone is imbued with a spiritual soul, beyond its shiny surface, and into the depth of its transparency. Brillantism seeks to reconnect with the deeper aesthetic, philosophical and historical perceptions of beauty, and to recognize beauty as an essential human need. The allure of gemstones closely follows the interpretations of beauty as emblems of power, wealth and wisdom, revered for their permanence and imbued with magical properties and colour-based virtues transferred to the wearer. Nowadays, precious stones are set in opulent jewellery, not amulets, crafted to adorn the famous and the rich.