Angélique Clamens

My work is largely inspired by theatre sets and dark fairy-tales, which construct a narrative around my art. This sculpture is based on the tale of the Little Mermaid, blending the original version, the myths of Sirens, with my personal twist to the story. The prince here chooses another woman instead of the Little Mermaid and leaves her behind. The only way to save herself from turning into seafoam is to stab the prince with the knife given to her by the sea-witch, but she refuses to kill the man she loves and dies. 

In my rendition, the creature accepts the gift of the sea-witch and stabs the prince, in order to save herself from certain death. Grief-stricken and embracing her siren nature, she lures men to their death by drowning them. 

When visualising the work, the siren seems sorrowful and beautiful. However, on closer inspection, the drowning hands visible above the water, and the blood of the prince on the knife disrupts these initial thoughts. Her surreal features differentiate her from the traditional appearances of sirens, accentuating the altered storyline and the space of fantasy. Her extended arm beckons the viewer, from the primary world of reality, to the other world of fantasy and darkness beneath. The seascape created embodies a gateway from the space of reality above water level, to the world of the unknown below its surface, symbolizing the ‘underworld’ and depicting the deadly nature of both the sea and the Siren.

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The Little Mermaid. Mixed media. 170cm x 260cm, 2020.
The Little Mermaid. Mixed media. 170cm x 260cm, 2020.
The Little Mermaid. Mixed media. 170cm x 260cm, 2020.
The Little Mermaid. Mixed media. 170cm x 260cm, 2020.