Song to the Siren

Song to the Siren is an exhibition of photographs, books and a video by Matthew Papa. The title is borrowed from an 80s cover by the band This Mortal Coil. The song evokes the Greek myth about the hazards of desire and nods to the artist’s youth when he began taking photographs. During his studies, the serendipitous rediscovery of a box of old photos, letters and ephemera provided a wellspring of inspiration and were the impetus for many of the works in this exhibit. In Song to the Siren, the body is a fulcrum bearing the weight of fear and desire. Formal nudes are juxtaposed with fragmented, ambiguous bodies, unsettling easy visual pleasure. Props in the form of masks, stockings and leggings bring a sense of theatre to the images where the self is inevitably performed. Sexual longing radiates from the photographs but is often tinged by the anxiety of power, emasculation and death. Being human is fraught with risk and uncertainty, a bind this work embraces.