Twyla Roberts

The title of this show, Actaeon, refers to the ancient myth of a hunter coming across Diana, goddess of nature, in the forest. Upon viewing the deity bare, he is turned into a stag and attacked by his own hunting dogs. Within my work, I aim to capture the fleeting second in which Actaeon is allowed entrance into another world, in which he is able to view the divine connection between woman and nature. Through this lens, my pieces can be seen as windows or portals into a spiritual realm. The gory consequence of Actaeon’s actions further serves to reinforce my primary theme of the cycle of life, or the bitter beauty of the natural world. However, viewing my work is not intended to instill pain or suffering. Instead, I am intentionally baring my body as an act of female agency, self-love, and an acknowledgement of the inherent beauty of the human form.

I see the divine in its truest form when I am connected to the natural world. I felt my strongest spiritual connection to nature this past summer, in Lake Conestee, South Carolina. Taking a routine hike by myself along a familiar path, it began to rain lightly. Protected by the tree cover, I was awed by the contrast of pale green leaves against the blue-black dirt, intoxicated by the smell of fresh earth and rain clouds. Joy filled my body from head to toe. I began to notice shapes in the trees, markings like eyes and lichenous trails like tears. Watching the leaves sway overhead, I was delighted by their shape, so similar to the outlines of the fish swimming away from the eddying raindrops. In the shadows of arcs of the tree branches and the sunlight dappling muddy red river water I found myself thinking, this is what I am trying to say. This harmony, this dark tangle, this endless cycle is what I am trying to get across through my art. In the moment, I began a poem which I have since finished, entitled:

 
Like the dead tree rich in incendiary sap and the choking eventuality of creeping vines, endings can become new beginnings. Throughout my senior year, I have experienced the beauty of loss and rebirth – both in my art making and personal life. In this my final project, I intend to capture the reverent power of grief and its connection to the cycle of life. Moreover, I have created these pieces in an effort to embrace my own beauty, femininity, and connection to divinity. In sum, Actaeon embodies my sharp, poignant, and sometimes dark interior self.