Cristabel Christo

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Music:

'Petit Musée'

With this piece Cristabel has taken personal objects from her past and entombed them in a chamber inside a metal frame. The frame itself serves to display one of her haunting oil paintings. The small objects, having been carefully photographed, are now 'flung into oblivion' and cannot be accessed unless the painting is torn away or the metal case breached somehow. The tiny objects, one a small letter describing one of her vivid dreams and its interpretation, have been given a kind of immortality. In a way, her past has been preserved. She describes this piece as a 'Petit Musée' and it pays homage to the tradition began by the seventeenth century kunstkammers whose collectors amassed objects from the world of science and history, to the later 'small museums' constructed by Joseph Cornell and Marcel Duchamp. The objects and their stories are forever preserved.
'Feeding The Disease'

This work from 2007 with pastels and ink over a page from an antique book (Cassell’s household guide, p. 51) is part of what Christo calls the 'Cristoon' series of mixed media cartoons. The artist constructed her drawing within and over the printed illustration (“the harvest mouse”) to create the final scene: a female puppet in pink kid’s dress “feeding” two little rodents. The fine interlacing of Christo’s drawing in the initial figure makes the result uncomfortably ambiguous. Not only does the puppet seem to feed one of the rodents with an ear of wheat, but also with her own brain since the other rodent’s head appears through her right excavated orbit. The artist has skilfully inserted the puppet inside the corn field by letting some plants on the first plane overlap the drawing; and because of this perspective effect one can hardly distinguish what is part of the original book figure, even though intervention of pastels is minimalist. This intimate cooperation with the original substrate clearly breaks free Christo of the so-called “altered art” movement, and places her approach in the line described by Jean Dubuffet in “L'Homme du commun à l'ouvrage” when the artist builds on the subtle accidents of form and texture occurring during the works; in a gradual, emerging co-construction with the material being trans-formed. A directing initial vision alone could not have yielded such a complex yet homogenous result.
Although the subject “feeding the disease” is somewhat macabre, the scene does not display a sense of violence, rather of quiet and almost peaceful horror. A bright sun shines in a summer sky. Two ears of wheat seem like antennas or juvenile hair bunches top the puppet’s head, and the puppet herself seems cooperative; her intact eyelid is mid-closed.
The ambivalence is admirably supported by the use of pastel yet poisonous colors. The green of the grass is one tone too fluorescent and has shades of blue, the poppies are bloody. The candy pink of the dress – of which a thin trait underlines the orbits - is also used for some ambiguous blossoms on stems behind the puppet; they are of poisonous appearance, indeed they remind the shape and colour of wheat grains used as rat poison. A series of minute details, which the spectator only perceives unconsciously at first (including small modifications in the book page’s underlying text, especially "poison" and "pests", which has been unevenly covered with brown pastel) add to this feeling that although everything looks quiet from afar, in fact everything is wrong. The structure of the puppet’s head using the original figure layout in a transparency effect, is indescriptible something between bandage, white tattoo, and flames in the Japanese inks manner. The mouth of the first rodent is sewn – as often in Christo’s works.
The layout of the pastel is amazingly firm and unhesitant, as can be seen by the traces of pressure on the other side of the thin paper substrate; without repentance, signing the precocious technical control of this young artist. Amazing is the resonance between the various cues of sick aspects in the scene and their interlacement with “life as usual”.
The scene is framed by an oval wreath of black ink text, in the usual manner of Christo, mixing capital and normal font in intrepid writing: "Don't even open emails because they'll contain nothing but slow torture. He has worked out that self-destruction wins you over. This is almost dangerous. You need to stop it now. Even I'm not laughing anymore. You're feeding the disease". The text, ending with the drawing’s title, obviously resonates with several graphic elements and proposes an interpretation of the global scene. Its disposition as a wreath as well as the font, beyond the funeral allusion, evokes antique portrait scripture rather than contemporary cartoon. This inscription is slightly more obscure than others in the same series, and gives some sense or urgency which darkens the picture; especially since reading obliges the spectator to move head uncomfortably, in what appears to be an interestingly innovative kinetic addition towards a multimodal reception of the art work, in resonance with the disturbing visual aspects of the work.
As a part of the Cristoon series, this inscription refers to an allegedly biographic dramatic love story, which the artist distributes over separate drawings. These form as a whole a fresco; which will unfortunately be scattered in private collections. Whether this series was created in a single batch, or distributed over several periods, is unknown; a lack of information with which critics are now familiar with this somewhat mysterious artist. But some variations in style suggest the second hypothesis.
One may regret that the time-unstable “found” material (thin acid paper, etc.) upon which this work is drawn makes conservation hazardous; this combined with scattering of the drawings almost excludes the possibility for future museum reconstruction of the fresco. This seems deliberate and in the very line of the suggested cathartic nature of this series. - AW.

'Devil Mask'

A personal anecdote about the power of this small piece. One day comes to my house this sharp-eyed always-critical old lady from my family who once was curator of an art museum. As she enters the living room, instead of heading for the sofa as everyone does, she walks straight to the piano, passes without a glance by the huge aboriginal acryclic which usually mesmerizes our guests, and stops where the devil mask is sitting between two antique Indian carved wood seeders. She takes a close look at the devil mask, silently, and only at this piece, then she quickly glances at me, with a grin of surprise that meant “after all, may be we could have done something with that boy?” The oversized hand-made frame, carved in a single block of unidentified wood is an essential part of this piece. It makes it a deconstructed primitive mask. On one hand, the strong presence of dark, dense, curved, exotic wood; on the other –inside- the face, or rather abstracted elements of a face. There are eye, eyelid, cheek, mouth indeed. Left and right side have somewhat different structure, and this asymmetry gives the impression of a vivid, animated figure, although the expression is undeterminable. Just as the Tibetan demonic masks, this devil is not bad, just mad. A thin layer of glass is applied directly over the pastel. Thanks to the recessed position of the pastel, the thick frame avoids reflection. This shading enables bright presence of the pastel colors, without the glossy effects of a varnish, conveying some of the textural intensity of raw pigment as used in tribal dancing ceremonies. - AW.

Our Dress Makes Us Grotesque

"Leonardo da Vinci had a fascination for individuals with startlingly exaggerated features. His 'grotesques', as they came to be known, were all deformed people with strangely fantastic, ugly or bizarre features. My modern-day study of 'grotesques' sees a finely dressed group in opulent surroundings" - CC.

'Ragged School'

The poorhouse was a place of gross inhumanity, enforced deprivation, and unspeakable insensitivity. Inmates led a regimented life in the House. Everyone except the feeble and children less than seven years of age performed the same work for the same number of hours and ate the same basic meals. Work, although it was not necessarily designed as punishment, was often grueling and sometimes even dangerous. Inmates broke rock, ground corn by hand, picked oakum (fibers of old ropes, used for caulking ship seams), and ground animal bones for fertilizer and manufacturing. Smoking was prohibited, as was reading...even of the Bible. Visits from "outsiders" were closely monitored. Often parents were not allowed to speak to their children. Married women of good character were housed with the aged; loose women were housed separately. Married couples initially were not allowed to live together regardless of their ages, as the Commission wanted to prevent pregnancy for obvious reasons. To provide for the education of the poor, John Pounds, a Portsmouth shoemaker, established the "Ragged Schools" which permitted the poorest of families to send their children to school for free.
'Joy Division'

Lack of sleep and long hours destabilized Curtis' epilepsy and his fits became almost uncontrollable. Ian would often have fits during shows, which left him feeling ashamed and depressed. While the band was concerned about their singer, audience members on occasion thought Curtis' behavior was part of the show. The evening before Joy Division were to embark on the American tour, Curtis returned to his home in Macclesfield in order to talk to his estranged wife. While he first asked Deborah Curtis to drop the divorce suit, he eventually told her to leave him alone in the house until he caught his train to Manchester the following morning. At about 5am the next day on 18th May 1980, Curtis hanged himself in the kitchen.
Golgotha

The Gospel writers call the place where Jesus was crucified 'Golgotha' — an Aramaic word meaning "the skull." There is a notion that Golgotha was named because the actual hillside in some way resembled a skull. The rough shape of a human skull—with eye sockets, nose and mouth—is visible in the cliff face of Gordon’s Calvary. The notion that Golgotha, "The Place of the Skull" (Matthew 27:33), was so named because of the skull-like appearance of the hill inspired me to create this work. From early Christian times, virtually all commentators held that Golgotha was so named simply because it was a place of execution, where the skulls and bones of criminals lay scattered. For my 'Golgotha Body Label' I've depicted Golgotha as the head of a woman, her skull visible through a tear in her forehead. The three crosses of crucifixion jut from her crown. The crosses burn like a flaming tiara - CC.
Fatima Mansion Mary

The 'Fatima Mansion Mary' is a piece inspired by a quote from the Irish singer Cathal Coughlan. The quote was explaining how the name for his band 'The Fatima Mansions' came about. "The name Fatima Mansions comes from a housing project in Dublin on the north side of the city central. Which in turn was named after a place in Portugal called Fatima where the Virgin Mary was alleged to have appeared in 1917. The reason why it became the name of a building was because the Irish politicians were so scared of the Catholic Church. As well as giving the church control of the whole of the educational system and most of the medical professions, they named all the new apartment buildings in Dublin after saints and places of religious interest. Later on, Fatima Mansions became the centre of the heroin business. I always thought it was the most strangely contradictory set of things to put the Virgin Mary's statue in the middle of all this drug commerce and violence" - Cathal Coughlan. Christo's 'Fatima Mansion Mary' portrays Cathal's 'strangely contradictory' view of the use of religious icons in an area teeming with misery, addiction, and crime. She is a sinister dark figure, carrying the the door key to the Fatima Mansion like a millstone around her neck. Her face has the pallor of a dead heroin addict.

Stuart Adamson - Rememberance Tin with Lyric Scrolls

The 'Stuart Adamson Rememberance Tin' was commissioned by a friend and fellow musician of Stuart's. I've caught him in a reflective mood. He's serious but not sad. The use of lyric scrolls compliment the tin and serve to highlight what a fantastic wordsmith Stuart IS. This piece is close to my heart, and unlike most of my other work it celebrates the life of someone who is no longer with us. These eyes do sparkle with life - CC.
Dead Fairy Killer

"It's a Fairy Killer Shrew. A rare specimen. This one is believed to be responsible for catching and killing around 50 fairies. Although, the actual number is believed to be much more than this. I caught this one myself. The only way to kill them is to dip them in sea water. Which is much harder than it sounds because they very rarely venture towards the coast. The sea water turns the live Fairy Shrew into wood. I think the skull remained intact because I was holding it by its head when I was ducking it in the water. Its screams were horrendous and I was unprepared for a live animal tearing at my skin and leaving splinters as the tips of its claws turned quickly into wood. Local farmers told me this one was particularly vicious" - CC.

Long-stay Subnormality Hospital (They Love to Masquerade)

Why do the dead people I see wear clothes? I guess they don't physically require clothing but our modesty dictates clothes, so my brain must automatically create them. They're not actually dead people, they're demon angels. Angels who don't follow God. The demons are usually invisible, at least to 'normal' people, but are capable of revealing their forms at their pleasure. And they love to masquerade - CC"
Vishnu as a Cat
"The cat was physically deformed and mentally challenged. The Vet found it to be deformed but said there is no physical reason to restructure its features. He considered it highly unethical to entertain the wishes of the old lady who wanted surgery carried out. He explained to her that the cat's health was not impacted by its appearance. In response, the old lady explained that the cat has super-natural powers and can cure ailments. She explained that the cat can visualise 'EVERYTHING' that is happening in the world. Her cat, said the old lady with conviction, is the tenth incarnation of Lord Vishnu" - CC.

Movies:

Picture of Clay
"The trial of the Pendle Witches is one of the most famous witch trials in the history of England. The Pendle Witches were accused of selling their souls to familiar spirits or devils who appeared to them in human and animal form. In return for their souls, it was believed that the witches received the power to kill or lame who they pleased. The usual method of murder was to make an effigy of the intended victim, known as a 'picture of clay'. The image was then crumbled or burned over a period of time, causing the victim to fall ill and die.Pendle Hill, which dominates the landscape of Lancashire, an area in North West England, continues to be associated with witchcraft. Every Halloween, large numbers of visitors climb it."Various elements of the witches confessions appear very similar to what a psychiatrist would now recognize as being symptoms of a psychotic illness, possibly schizophrenia. This is the part of the story that interests me - CC".
"What are 'Body Labels'?
The inspiration for these comes from the artist Gus Fink. They are the tags tied on the big toes of corpses in the mortuary. Usually, they include information such as the sex of the person, weight, cause of death...etc. I wanted the tags to include all this information but in the form of a single picture. An image that speaks a thousand words and tells the viewer all they need to know about that person and what killed them" - CC.

Television:

Force Fed
"The woman in yellow looms over the seated figure. Her eyes are closed but you sense that she is crying. Crying...or wishing. Perhaps she is too ashamed to stare back at us? Unlike the lady in the chair who looks directly at the viewer but sees nothing. Her mouth is unnaturally wide with a smile that doesn't suggest happiness. It's too much of a smile. An over-smile. I can almost smell the overcooked cabbage and rubber and wood from the twin tub. The column of the door frame to the right has been intentionally curved and the door itself is awkwardly angled. These features serve to disturb the viewer and add a nightmarish quality to the painting".

Books:

Little Tin Companion Crypt

Historically, the word mausoleum comes from the large temple-like structure which was erected by Queen Artemisia in the ancient city of Harlicarnassua as the final resting place for her late husband, King Mausolus. This is how the word mausoleum is derived. His mausoleum is now regarded as the fifth of the Seven Wonders of the World.There are three different kinds of double crypts: tandem crypts permit two entombments lengthwise in a crypt; 'companion crypts' permit two entombments side-by-side; westminster crypts permit two entombments, the first below floor level, and the second above it."The 'Little Tin Companion Crypt' represents a long dead couple who are immortalised, for as long as the tin remains free from the ravages of rust. Lockets of their hair lie side-by-side symbolising a time in the past when the two lay together in life".

Heroes:

The Fear of Life is Strong
"There is something inside certain individuals that drives their curiosity of fear and its hidden motives to be discovered. We live in a fear-based culture and this inevitably affects everyone's state of mind. I wanted to create two characters who would convey this 'fear of life' in their expressions and pose. The lady screams fear with her grotesque smile and unnaturally calm demeanour. The man seems almost beyond fear and is resigned to despair. His eyes are those of a shell-shocked war veteran. I believe we've entered an age of fear. Energy shortages, wars, climate change, growing populations, terrorist threats...to name a few. My people are dramatic and exaggerated examples of our darkest realisations - CC".
Harmless Violence
"The concept behind this painting stems from a growing concern I have for the exploitation of women. Around the world, the oppression of women goes hand in hand with failed societies. Often, only a thin veneer of make-up masks the exploitation and despair on a woman's face. In this picture the hideous make-up is meant to tell the real story. The forced smile hides nothing and the monsterous teeth are fitting visible markers to the pain inside. As always in my paintings, the eyes fail to glint with pleasure". - CC.
Horror Pet Grisette
This very unusual work is framed in a deep wooden glass fronted frame, with a portal in the back to allow light to shine through the eyes of the grisette (girl). Holes have been burned through the eyes to create shadowy cavities where the eyes used to be. Alternatively, if a light source or window is behind the picture the eyes will allow light to shine out. The picture itself is an overpainted vintage print. The body of the picture is signed and the back of the frame includes her customary fingerprint with signature. The word "grisette" refers to a cheap dress made of gray fabric, and later came to signify those young, lower class women who wore it. During the 19th century, the term came to embody not only the social status of the grisette, but also a certain archetypal character, namely a young, pretty, independent and flirtatious working woman. "The grisette despises conventional, boring, foolish men, however rich they might be. She cares more about looks and personality than money, although she likes spending money if she can. And even if she leaves bohemia for bourgeois men, she is portrayed as being unhappy and longing for bohemian life; in spirit she never breaks from bohemia. She remains committed to her bohemian lovers, and the bourgeois husband or lover can never understand her completely, because her heart remains with her only true love, the bohemian.- Manchin."

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