PURE HOPE

2012, Oil on Linen, 100 x 100cm

An escape ladder leads both up and down.

In Offenbach’s operetta Orpheus in the Underworld, the Gods in Olympus sleep out of boredom amid horrid ambrosia and hideous nectar. When events conspire a visit to Hell, they discover everyone having a rollicking good time (and dancing the Can-Can).

This is not to suggest the celebration of evil, but rather to highlight that Hope is personalised to each individual and can take many, unlikely forms.