“Hippy and the Snake” exhibition by Petrina Hicks

16^th November – 10^th December

Helen Gory Gallery 25 St Edmonds Road, Prahran

Sydney photographer Petrina Hicks’ latest project is “Hippy and the Snake”. The series showcases natural subjects – flora and fauna – in a setting so unnaturally perfect as to evoke an ominous sense from the viewer. Intentionally contrived scenes are saturated in colour to compensate for their lack of authenticity; which only adds to the unsettling nature of imagery that would typically be considered beautiful.

Observers may come away with a sense of the Garden of Eden being disturbed (even though the model wears a tee shirt emblazoned with the Hindu-god Vishnu). We have the apple, the snake, the woman as motifs. Bloody nectar dripping from flowers hints at dangerous seduction.

Hicks has also produced a just-as-transfixing video to accompany her stills. In collaboration with Aconia soundlab, the audio track features the incessant hum of birds and bees and exaggerated water droplets. Continuing the potential for Eve comparisons, even a Venus flytrap appears to ensnare a butterfly, in conjunction with the same creature then trying to escape the subject’s glossed pout.

So is it the original flower child or the snake that’s more of a threat? Spend some time with Hick’s new imagery to find out.