Fascination
Vera sits in dark glamour, her gaze direct yet restrained. A heavy, belted coat encases her like armor, holding her still against the chaos she both invites and resists. Two small monkeys cling to her shoulder, her untamed curiosity made flesh, reminders of the wildness she keeps under exquisite control. Behind her, the ruins of an ancient citadel loom, relics of forgotten power and fading order.
Yet Vera’s attention is not on the past. It’s fixed on the spectacle before her. A jagged current of brilliant orange energy cuts through the scene, separating her composure from the Inferno Stage. There, a lone dancer moves in defiant grace, illuminated by a dangerous, consuming light. Her performance unfolds against crystalline peaks ablaze, beauty rising from destruction.
To the right, half-seen figures watch from the safety of an airship cabin, spectators and critics, untouched by the fire below.
Poised between distance and surrender, Vera becomes both audience and subject, fascination and fascinated. She is the patron of danger, the judge of passion, the woman who must choose between her throne of stillness and the lure of the flame. In that choice, the moment before movement, the entire drama lives.
ARTWORK DETAILS
ARTIST
Jela Prančić
MEDIUM
Collage
DATE
21 January 2024
ORIGINAL DIMENSIONS
40cm x 26cm