In Ictu Oculi
(Maastricht / Markt 53)
Greta Alfaro (1977, Spain) grew up in Spain and currently lives and works in Great Britain. Having directly experienced both cultures she has become quite aware of the respective social habits and customs to hide chaos and vulnerability. In her work Alfaro likes to refer to ‘the human condition’ and often holds up a mirror to the viewer.
The work In Ictu Oculi (In the Blink of an Eye) shows a sloping landscape with a copiously set table. There is hardly any movement to be noticed in the scene. What gives away that we are not looking at a photo is the slight swaying of the tablecloth in the breeze. The photographic still life is at first slowly and then at increasing speed changing into a scene of doom when a group of vultures is diving into the banquet and upsetting it entirely. In Ictu Oculi transforms from a still life into a lively tableau vivant. The work is strongly symbolical: the set table refers to the Last Supper and its title refers to the impermanence of things and beings and the destructibility in man’s behaviour. Alfora’s timeless mirror reflects man’s helplessness; the impending disruption of order and the establishing of chaos can happen in the blink of an eye. At the end of the video the tableau vivant has turned once more into a combination of still life and landscape art.