Lamiae

Lamiae project

Lamiae is a project born in 2011. I was searching for a theme inspiring my work and I found Lamia.
I wasn't interested on the gory aspect of the Lamia's story: she was the queen of Libya, transformed in a monster, eager for blood and flesh of innocents, by a wrathful Hera. Later traditions referred to many lamiae, half women half animals, that seduced young men and children to fed on their blood.
I wanted to focus on the symbolic aspect, ambiguous women, charming but also disturbed, feral, mysterious and seductive.
I tried to give to all pictures a fairytale looks, in order to keep characters out of time and known places.

"...her head was serpent, but ah, bitter-sweet!

She had a woman's mouth with all its pearls complete:

And for her eyes: what could such eyes do there

But weep, and weep, that they were born so fair?

As Proserpine still weeps for her Sicilian air.

Her throat was serpent, but the words she spake

Came, as through bubbling honey, for Love's sake..."

Lamia, John Keats