Rachel Easting
The lion and the unicorn were fighting for the crown.
The lion beat the unicorn all around the town…
The above rhyme dates from 1603 when King James VI of Scotland, in becoming James I of England, unified the Scottish and English kingdoms. The resulting new coat of arms combined England’s lion with Scotland’s unicorn and was seen as a reconciliation dictating that the two would share governance, which is somewhat placed in doubt by the nursery rhyme.
Rachel Easting’s sculpture Love and Desire (2005) portrays a large and vicious lion attacking a small vulnerable white unicorn. The unicorn leans to one side struggling under the weight of the great lion. The work is constructed of automotive–lacquered fibreglass which, like a new car, tempts one to touch its glossy, smooth surface. The work brings to mind a cheap plastic Disneyland souvenir or a discarded Hollywood marketing gimmick for the last big hit animated movie. In opposition to the traditional notion of sculpture in art galleries Easting’s work appears almost disposable, representative of a particular fad which has passed or an amusement park reject.
The title of the work speaks of the battle between love and desire. Here desire can be seen as the frenzied attack on the unicorn which may be about to be devoured by the powerful lion. Historically the lion and the unicorn have been placed in opposition, or have been seen as deadly enemies. Both creatures have been regarded as king of the beasts—the unicorn was thought to rule through harmony whereas the lion ruled through strength.
Perhaps the artist is contemplating love and desire as opposing forces, one threatening to devour the other. Or perhaps the plastic disposable appearance of the work seeks to cheapen such emotions as a fairytale fantasy.
Kathryn Mitchell
This text is a rearranged excerpt from Kathryn Mitchell, 'Dunedin', Art New Zealand 120, Spring 2006, pp.48-49. Reproduced with kind permission of Kathryn Mitchell and Art New Zealand.
Rachel Easting artist bio:
Born Wellington, 1984
Lives and works in Wellington
Bachelor of Fine Arts (Sculpture), School of Art, Otago Polytechnic, Dunedin
Selected group exhibitions include: 'Wallace Art Awards', Aotea Centre, Auckland and Pataka Museum of Arts and Cultures, Porirua (2006); 'Op Shop', Dunedin Public Art Gallery, Dunedin (2006); 'Graduate Show', Blue Oyster Art Project Space, Dunedin (2006).
Image credits:
Rachel Easting
Love and Desire 2005
fibreglass and automotive lacquer
Courtesy of the artist