by Angel Diaz

Artwork Description

Tea Roses

0.0 x 0.0

Diptych, Multimedia on canvas 24” X 56”, 2” 1993 During the eighties and nineties, HIV/AIDS had spread worldwide. The disease became the subject of many religious, political and social controversies. Since its identification, it garnered international medical and political attention as well as large-scale funding. It was a time when the future was uncertain. Chaos and social change affected the lives of the young and beautiful gay men - like the fragile beauty of the tea roses represented on this work. The images are depicted on two (diptych) separate canvases. The first one, viewed upwards, depicts a cross-like shape; and viewed downwards emulates a phallic . The second part of the diptych is one perfect square foot, representing a solid unknown deadly force, one inch away, ready to take siege and invade the central image. A crystal vase containing the image of a dozen hybrid tea 'Ophelia’ tea roses, in various stages of withering and dying, are positioned in the center of the main surface. These twelve pink roses are spread across the top, occupying three (3) different panes. The upper part of the panes echoes a pyramid like shape, symbolizing the "divine trinity". The top pane crowns the image while the other bottom two, cling to each other -bound by a small piece of transparent (band aid like) tape. The roses are dispersed symbolically in groups, within the different panes. The center one contains five roses, symbolizing grace and acceptance. They are depicted in a clear blue background. The left pane visually depicts five roses, against a darker blue background. However, upon closer inspection, it reveals the loneliness of a single rose; the others truly belong to other panes and are transitioning both in and out of the pane. The right one depicts the dual aspects of life - the yin and yang of Life. Two roses sit in the center of a perfect square embracing each other. Although the background is corroded and tainted they appear to be calm and solid. The crystal vase is filled with murky waters contaminated by an unknown substance rising from the bottom. While the bottom part of the vase shows tainted waters, the upper crystal rim shines iridescently even though it holds a wilted, single rose; it hangs dead and alone. The bottom pane aims to represent the virus enclosed in a perfect square smeared by a fluorescent substance. It metastasizes upwards tainting and corrupting the images on top. It was conceived to depict the spreading of an unknown virus and its impact within our

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