ERNST LIMA
-Circuit of Cyane- is a series that embodies the contrast between petrification and liquification, drawing inspiration from the myth of Cyane in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. These pieces serve as a deeply personal reflection on the duality within my own existence—the tension between the hardened exterior of the body and the profound fragility of the mind.
In creating -Circuit of Cyane-, I sought to explore this internal conflict, using the myth of Cyane as a mirror to reflect my own duality.
In mythology, the transformation of beings into stone often symbolizes a moment of intense emotion or divine intervention, a sudden and irreversible change. This series revisits ancient metaphors, aligning them with the myth of Hades and Persephone, where the nymph Cyane, a close companion of Persephone, is transformed into a water stream after attempting to resist Hades’ abduction of her friend.
The works depict the process of petrification, typically a transition from the fluidity of life to the rigidity of stone, reimagined in the context of contemporary visual culture.
Throughout history, art has sought to capture the ephemeral—to fix moments into objects, oral narratives into written words, and experiences into art forms. From ancient wall reliefs to romantic-era paintings and photography, art has always aimed to make the fleeting permanent. However, the digital realm complicates this relationship by being both fluid and fixed.
On vegan leather, a synthetic material that mimics the organic texture of its natural counterpart, these works echo the tension between the natural and the artificial, the authentic and the represented. Like my physical shell, this material appears strong and durable but is ultimately synthetic, a constructed facade that conceals a more complex, vulnerable reality beneath. The depictions capture this moment of transformation, the tension between being fluid and being fixed, between living authentically and presenting an image.
The surface of the images in this series suggests the duality of fluidity and fixation—where once vibrant, living entities are captured, manipulated, and displayed in a form that, while seemingly dynamic, is ultimately static and controlled. This tension reflects the paradoxical nature of „the online self,“ where the promise of fluid, continuous self-presentation is subverted by the platform’s tendency to crystallize moments into permanent, idealized images.
Photo 1 &2
CIRCUIT OF CYANE (Tale of Transition I)
UV Print on vegan leather
110 x 130 cm
2024
Photo 3
INSTALLATION VIEW @ Gallery Gaugy Brussels 9/2024
Photo 4&5
CIRCUIT OF CYANE (Tale of Transition IV)
UV Print on vegan leather
50 x 70 cm
2024
Photo 5&6
CIRCUIT OF CYANE (Tale of Transition II)
UV Print on vegan leather
90 x 120 cm
2024
Photo 7&8
CIRCUIT OF CYANE (Tale of Transition V)
UV Print on vegan leather
30 x 40 cm
2024