Julie Watkins, Pandora Series 2: Adolescent Pandora; Pandora becomes a vamp, no (i)

Audio Description

This mix-media photo montage consists of a black and white photograph that has been hand painted with gouache to accentuate red- and yellow-coloured objects within the painting. It is 40 point 4 centimetres high and 35 centimetres high and has a black wooden frame. The image is mounted on matt board inside the frame and the space between the edge of the picture and the edge of the frame is approximately 5 centimetres.

The image depicts a woman facing away from the audience but towards a man, who is sitting on a chair and facing the audience and the woman. There is an empty chair next to the man. The woman looks as though she’s dancing for the man – she is wearing a red headband and red dress, with one shoulder coming down revealing part of her back. She’s wearing white socks and one red shoe – the shoe on her other foot isn’t in the frame. The man is wearing pink socks, smart black leather shows and a suit. His shirt is dark red and he’s wearing a black tie. Behind him is a wooden wall with the words “Keep Clear’’ painted in large letters on it. He is holding an ambiguous object. It is rectangular in shape and coloured yellowish-brown. From afar, it looks as though it could be a briefcase or a large envelope.

In the bottom of the image, the ground looks rather gravelly. The artist has superimposed two lines of text on to the ground at the bottom of the image. The top line is in all caps and red and reads “Wild Thing” repeated three times. The bottom line is black and in cursive script and reads ‘Ever since we met You’ve had a hold on me’.

The artist is interested in the Greek mythological figure of Pandora, who was created by Zeus – the god of the sky, as a bridal offering and as an act of revenge. The ambiguous object that the man is holding could be a metaphor for Pandora’s box, which when opened, could release all the terrors in the world. The female figure is somewhat akin to Pandora in her alluring red dress. When Pandora opened the box, the only thing remaining in there was ‘hope’… the artist wanted to use Pandora as a symbol because traditionally, Pandora was cast as the one at fault, but in the end, when Pandora closed the box and hope remained, the world was healed.

Julie Watkins’s practice investigates the vulnerability of women through her interdisciplinary practice incorporating photography, photomontage, painting, print processes and installation. Her photographic works are inspired by Australian inland travel and the locality of St Kilda, where Watkins’ studio has been established since the 1970s. Abandoned urban sites and outback ruins form theatrical backdrops for Watkins’ semi-autobiographical female figure who acts out dramatic narratives of sexuality, gender, ambiguity, and abandonment.

–

Artwork credit is: Julie Watkins, Pandora Series 2: Adolescent Pandora; Pandora becomes a vamp, no (i) 1994. Photo montage and gouache on paper. Paper size 40.4cm H x 35cm W, frame 52.7cm H x 46.3 cm W. Courtesy of the RMIT University Art Collection. This work was a gift of Annie English and Alan Wearne, 2021.