Borne on Wings of Fire 2020

Curator: Jana Brike's "Borne on Wings of Fire," created in 2020 using acrylics, immediately strikes me as both haunting and beautiful. What are your first thoughts? Editor: The first thing that leaps out is the dissonance. A delicate portrait set against what appears to be a scene of apocalyptic destruction. A visual paradox. Curator: It's compelling, isn't it? Consider Brike’s consistent exploration of youthful female figures juxtaposed with potent, often unsettling, imagery. The fire consuming the Hollywood sign serves as a rather explicit indictment, perhaps? Think of the socio-political elements intertwined within. Editor: The Hollywood sign as a symbol, obviously. In flames, it becomes an icon of shattered dreams, lost innocence. The floral crown, also burning, mirrors this sense of corruption and loss. What cultural weight does this "destruction" carry, beyond the superficial spectacle of say, a movie disaster? Curator: Precisely! It pushes us to contemplate the cultural production that sign represents: an industry built on labor, commodification, and let's not forget, immense resource consumption. The seemingly romantic figure wearing what appears to be manufactured lace suddenly sits within a framework of ecological critique. How do those materials play into this? Editor: The figure’s gaze feels accusatory, challenging us. I also notice the butterflies—symbols of transformation and, in some cultures, souls. Do they offer a glimmer of hope amidst the chaos? Or are they merely aesthetic counterpoints to the destructive fire? Curator: Hope, perhaps ironically, materializes in Brike's skilled handling of her medium. The very process of layering acrylics becomes a commentary. Cheap, modern paints constructing images of complex and costly problems! It all points to very real and material imbalances. Editor: I’m intrigued by the burning crown; is this a contemporary iteration of Ophelia, or a re-imagining of the suffering artist, wrestling with societal anxieties and using symbols to convey these tensions? Curator: Both readings resonate. What this artwork really highlights is how artistic creation can operate as a form of material engagement, compelling audiences to critically assess systems of labor and representation. Editor: Agreed, Brike has woven together powerful visual symbols—fire, flora, portraiture—inviting deeper reflections on decay, beauty, and cultural accountability. Curator: Definitely food for thought, indeed.