Turning to Ovid in a Moment of Transition

OVID’S “METAMORPHOSES” has served as inspiration for visual artists for hundreds of years, and in 2020 it felt as relevant as ever. It was the first book that I read as I hunkered down in my apartment at the height of the pandemic. Ovid’s cast of human and bestial characters are at the mercy of capricious Gods who constantly change themselves and everything around them into different forms. These transformations are both beautiful and ghastly, violent and serene — a blurring of boundaries between humans, nature and forces more powerful than ourselves. What inspired me most about the “Metamorphoses” (I read David Raeburn’s classic translation) is how vibrant and visual these stories are, and how Ovid captures human desperation and fragility. In making these images I wanted to reflect on the idea of becoming something else. Ovid’s physical and emotional landscapes are constantly shifting. I wanted to visualize the feelings we are going through as we start to transform back into our normal lives, re-engaging with ourselves and with nature.