Work on paper performed with oil pastels, charcoal and acrylics with a gestural and un-controlled approach on dusty paper.
This work is inspired by one of the earliest Egyptian cmyth’s cycle.
Shu (also Chu, Sciu or Schu) was a primordial deity, personification of air, the atmosphere and the wind, and a member of the great Ennead of Heliopolis.
His name means “He, Who Raises” and derives from his main mythological function: the division of his son Geb, Earth, from his daughter Nut, the Sky – fundamental moment of the creation of the world; based on different inspcriptions interpretations and translations, his name means Dry (reference to the wind that dries) or Empty.
Shu symbolized air, also understood as a breath of life and a cooling breeze; it was therefore associated with a pacifying influence.
By virtue of this, and his connection with Maat (embodiment of truth, justice, order), Shu was commonly depicted with an ostrich feather on his head, which was also the hieroglyph of his name , or with a headdress of four feathers, symbolizing the four pillars that he had placed to support the sky.
The ostrich feather was a symbol of lightness and purity.
Mist and clouds were also elements of Shu: as can be seen from mentions of Shu in ‘The Pyramid Texts’, Egyptians believed that the clouds were his bones.
Due to its position between the earth and the sky, it was also identified with the atmosphere and the wind.
