NOCTIS ARCANA (2012, graphite, Indian ink and marker on cardboard, 50 × 70 cm)

Arachne
The myth of Arachne, as interpreted by the illustrator Gustave Doré, and the symbolic dimension of the mirror under its Freudian aspects, serve as the leitmotifs of this drawing.

The mirror
Spider-women emerge from their lair and descend into the lower part of the space framed by the mirror. The mirror appears devoid of reflection, as though these spider-women had emptied it and installed themselves inside, revealing that its reflective surface was merely a superficial layer concealing an unfathomable depth.

Appearances
As skilled weavers, the spider-women have replaced the glass of the mirror with an intricate web of threads. This transformation suggests that the mirror’s reflection is itself a woven surface, a superficial fabric that can nevertheless draw us into hidden places of truth —our truth— revealed when we look within it.

Introspection
Their inverted orientation —head down from our perspective— invites the observer to alter their point of view, to look at themselves differently. The fissure from which the spiders emerge symbolizes the hidden self: the depths of identity, represented by the diverse personalities embodied by the spider figures.

Identity
Ultimately, the spider-women invite us to contemplate ourselves from different emotional angles. Through their multiplication, with many limbs and hybrid forms, they evoke the fragmentation and proliferation of personalities that inhabit our inner reflection.