"The idea behind this body of work, 'Anais Through the Looking Glass and Other Stories', is to bring the writer, Anais Nin, to the attention of a different, broader and bigger audience, via a different language: a visual language . To keep Anais Nin’s legacy going, It is important that her work transcends into other art forms and languages such as art and music, thereby extending her audience.
With this in mind, It was very important to get the balance right between Anais’s life and my art. This equilibrium was found in using photographic images of her along with varies mediums, such as ink and collage. This way I was able to connect both intellectually and emotionally with her. The mirrored images extend the invitation to the viewer, to enjoy and share the experience: A Ménage a Trois with Anais and the artist. The cracked mirror images are Anais at play trying on different guises: Which is the real Anais? Echoing an Anais you will never know. The complexity of the Cracked Actress in all her glory. The small light boxes are intimate and the experience different. Voyeuristic. You watch her play out her relationships with her lovers including her father, all done in a sensual language that is mine. In some of the images there are reflections of older art works: Again, a tribute to Anais and the path that she led me on. This exhibition is a homage to a woman who has shaped and inspired me for most of my life.”
Colette Standish 2018
'Art is societies most feared and valued weapon, because it is created by societies outsiders. When you put eroticism into the mix, a very human experience, it becomes more powerful than God'