betrayals and jealousies
2011
door, window, reclaimed cotton yarn
190 × 92 × 30 cm; 45 × 35 × 10 cm

The inspiration for this work comes from the symbolism and emotions embedded in colour. Yellow, in the language of flowers for example, signifies betrayal. It carried similar associations in France. The door of a person convicted of adultery was once painted yellow, and in sixteenth-century Hamburg prostitutes were required to wear yellow shawls.

Betrayal goes hand in hand with jealousy. It is common to say that one “turns yellow” with envy, spite, or bitterness. Small curtains hung in the kitchens of rural cottages were called zazdrostki — “jealous little curtains”. They do not fully cover the window, allowing neighbours to peek through and envy the household’s prosperity.

Such small betrayals and jealousies accompany human life on a daily basis. They are often confined within the home, where they churn and swell to dangerous proportions. This composition is an illustration of such a house.