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JADE CASSIDY 

CAPE PHOENIX -  A RESURRECTION STORY 

Quantum Oddity Gallery - Berlin - Opening: 17.01.25  7pm

Jade Cassidy (b. 1996, Cape Town)

As alluded to in the title of Jade Cassidy’s solo exhibition Cape Phoenix - a resurrection story at

Quantum Oddity Gallery, her work centres around the themes of renewal and resilience. The King

Protea, the national flower of South Africa, appears in Cassidy’s work as a symbol of death and

resurrection, destruction and revival, ruin and prosperity. The King Protea is a woody shrub with

large and robust flowers that has adapted to the harsh conditions of its natural environment.

Growing in areas prone to devastating wildfires, the King Protea has developed a reproductive

system in which the seeds embedded deep within the flowering body are released through the fire

that otherwise destroys the plant. Growing from the ashes of what was, new life takes form, grows

stronger and blooms again. The King Protea’s life cycle illustrates the connection between

catastrophe and hope and is used as a metaphor in Cassidy’s works.

Considering the history of her birth country, South Africa, as well as personal histories and more

universal life cycles in humanity and nature, Cassidy explores the strength and beauty in

resilience.

Cassidy’s paintings in oil on canvas depict the King Protea in hues of red and brown as well as

black. The reds may be associated with fire and glowing embers, while brown and black seem to

suggest charred, burnt and lifeless foliage that eventually turns to ash. Despite the darker and

perhaps ominous colour palette there are hints of light in Cassidy’s works. The black paint in her

works is not simply an absence of light but provides a surface on which light is reflected, as well

as a contrast that allows the red and brown hues to appear brighter. In both a literal and

metaphorical sense, darkness always implies light; without light, there is no darkness and vice

versa. This sentiment may again be tied to Cassidy’s central theme as well as to the King Protea

in that a seemingly hopeless situation, a complete devastation, leads to revival and resurrection.

Cassidy’s use of light and dark is inspired by the chiaroscuro technique, particularly as used by

Caravaggio, which allows for a dramatic effect evoking strong emotion. As a result, these are not

still-life paintings of flower arrangements but dramatic scenes caught in a moment of

transformation. The works contain a narrative that is left implicit but may be assumed by the

viewer, the characters of which are not in human form, allowing for a more universal interpretation.

In Cassidy’s paintings on paper, the flowers exude a humanlike presence, as if imbued with

consciousness. Sometimes, the flower droops as though bowing its head; other times, it faces the

viewer as though interacting with them. There is movement and rhythm in the broad brushstrokes,

rendered in black on white - a shadow theatre comes to mind.

Like the paintings, the sculptures displayed in the exhibition are reminiscent of organic forms. The

openings fold outward like the petals of a flower. The colour scheme is again dark with bursts of

deep red. The glossy glaze reflects the light, allowing the sculptures’ surfaces to glisten as the

viewer moves around them. The artist’s hand is evident on the surface of the ceramics as one can

see where pieces of clay were added, smoothed out and moulded into shape. Strips of matte

black leather are woven or knotted in a macrame technique around the sculptures, some tight,

some loose. Though fastened in their leather confines, the ceramic elements of the sculpture

appear to outgrow them, breaking loose rather than being restrained. Leather is a material that, in

its soft and smooth, skin-like texture, can be quite sensual but may also be associated with more

violent forms of intimacy, such as in BDSM practices. Within Cassidy’s sculptures, there is

tension; the fragility and potential for destruction due to the nature of the ceramic material is

opposed to the durability of the leather and the tightly woven structures or secure fastenings with

metal studs. There is an understanding that both realities may be true at once, that something

may be both fragile and strong. This concept relates to the resilience of the King Protea in that the

plant is both subject to destruction through natural forces and holds within it the power to use

these adverse conditions to its advantage.

The exhibition Cape Phoenix - a resurrection story contains a message of hope. As viewers, we

are challenged to reflect on our own journey of revival, renewal, and resurrection. This may be our

personal story or a greater narrative of society or humanity as a whole.

 

Text: Isabelle Thul

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