The Rape of the Sabine Women (2024) :

This work explores the juxtaposition of beauty and horror in a contemporary setting. Nightclubs are vibrant and exhilarating spaces, yet they also encompass a darker side where incidents of assault can occur. This installation features three inflatable LED balls, each displaying my photographs of empty nightclubs in London and Paris. These vacant, modern spaces become the stage for a visual narrative where I edit in figures from classical Renaissance paintings, creating scenes that initially evoke a sense of fun and beauty. Upon closer inspection, these seemingly joyous scenes reveal unsettling instances of violence and assault, reflecting the often overlooked, darker aspects of nightlife. The balls, suspended high to mimic mirror balls, symbolise small, self-contained worlds — microcosms of the clubbing scene — highlighting how these environments can harbour both delight and danger. Accompanying these LED balls are two disco balls, each meticulously painted with different versions of 'The Rape of the Sabine Women' — one by Picasso and the other by Rubens. These rotating disco balls cast reflections that serve as a stark reminder of the persistence of sexual violence within nightlife settings, drawing a direct parallel to the historical atrocities depicted in the paintings. This connection underscores the alarming continuity of such violence from the past to the present.

The Rape of the Sabine Women (2024) prompts reflections on the changes and constants in social gatherings and human behaviour across centuries and most importantly inviting you to confront the concepts of the perennial themes of sex and power within a social space.