A Dedication to Saint Ursula

A Dedication to Saint Ursula I

Installation, black ink on rose petals
Dimensions variable
Commissioned by Church of Saint Severin, Paris, France

I wrote a text onto rose petals and placed them around the relics of Saint Ursula. The text that I used is from a book The Body in Pain written by an American contemporary woman writer Elaine Scarry, which dissects and condemns the act of torture. It is in reference to the torture that Saint Ursula and her 11,000 virgin martyrs have suffered through. I see the text as the knowledge of a contemporary woman’s criticism on the act of torture empowering the fragility and femininity of the rose petals, which represent the virgins. Then after three months, the work would wither away like a thought would.

The project was made for an exhibition at Church of Saint Severin, Paris from June 15th to September 27th, 2009. The exhibition was curated by Jean de Loisy and organized by Isabelle Renaud-Chamska and Sandra Adam-Couralet.