Sex, Bombs & Bliss / 07

This series of 5 large semi-abstract oil paintings and 4 smaller night vision paintings are based on the Baghdad night bombings, the Shock and Awe campaign of 2003, and are taken from found reportage photography. Colour explodes on the canvas and conveys the sublime through overwhelming death and destruction. The paintings aim not to glorify the landscape of war but rather aim to transcend its horror. This suite of work aims to explore the relationship between death and beauty, violence and serenity.

Most of my past work has explored states of calm, serenity, undisturbed by external events, meditative or contemplative states - expanses of transcendent light, space and peace. With this body of work I aim to explore the relationship between death, destruction and the sublime. To me it seems that even in the most painful situation there is still the possibility of transcendence. Infact maybe in the face of such overwhelming natural or man made force the possibility of transcending ones individuality, of

loosing oneself in the experience is perhaps greater. Traditionally in western thought the sublime has always had this edge of terror, the fear of losing ones self in the sublime. Whether it be the ‘fear of God’ or the awe one feels when faced with the boundlessness of nature, this suite of work is an attempt to explore this within contemporary experience.

Jonah Cacioppe
July 2007