Trust in Me

Artwork Info

• Year: 2012.
• Medium: Photo Manipulation, Digital Painting.
• Style: Dark Surrealism Digital Art.
• Size:  50×35 inches (126×89 cms).
• Model: Wenona, photographed by Marcus Ranum.

“Trust in me” is a dark surrealism digital art piece about parting ways, being hurt and choosing loneliness for the greater good. Believe it or not, it was inspired by the dark and gloomy Siouxsie and the Banshees cover song of “Trust in me (the python’s song)” from Disney’s “The Jungle Book”.

Artist’s statement

trust /trʌst/ noun

1. firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone or something.
2. dependence on something future or contingent.
3. a porperty interest held by one person for the benefit of another.

Created for the exhibition “Twistted Essence” I directed as the curator of the international artistic collective Hysterical Minds. The goal was to create a collection of artworks with several lectures, contradictions or double meanings. At that time, I was considering parting ways with a beloved person that was very important to me.  Although I was still in love, things weren’t working anymore. As I decided to break the relationship, I felt I was ripping our hearts apart. I also understood that, from outside, my intentions could be seen as a charade. In my head I couldn’t stop thinking “trust me: this is for the best”. 

Artwork breakdown

I created a dynamic and tense composition with its focal point on the area of the right, forcing the reading of the image to be made backwards (as far as we westerns read images). The main character is emotionless and nude, stripped of any material possesions. Her face resembles a venetian carnival mask, that can be interpreted as she’s hiding something. The branches coming from her head are losing their leaves as she firewalks through a gloomy and mysterious forest. However, a pair of wings on her back tell us that she’s free. On her hands, she’s carrying two bleeding hearts, being one of them her own, as we notice the giant scar under her breast. However, new life in the shape of flowers is blooming from them, indicating new beginnings.

As she crosses the forest, she’s setting fire to the ground as she walks, showing the pain. This metaphor also makes reference to the saying “burning bridges” (doing something that makes impossible to return to an earlier situation or relationship). Ghostly hands appear behind the trees, symbolizing both paranoia and the opinion of others following you. On the same area, we can see broken clocks, meaning that time has already run out. Finally, on the bottom left area, we see two birds: the white one is alive in a cage, and the black one is free but dead (an allegory of the two lovers).

Conclusion

“Trust in me” is a dark surrealism digital art piece that tries to teach us that sometimes, love is also letting go of things. It might be harmful at first, but sometimes the best intentions come in the ugliest packagings. This is one of my most personal and intrincate pieces and it is also a personal favorite of mine. It’s enigmatic, full of drama and sadness, but ironically, it has a message of hope.