Study for Brother as Alecto
Daniel Giordano, 2016-2022, Mixed media
"Ah! ah! you goddesses swiftly careering on your wings, whose lot it is to hold a revel, not with Bacchic rites, in tears and groans; you black-skinned avenging spirits, that dart along the spacious air, exacting a penalty for blood, a penalty for murder ..." (Euripides, Orestes)
Giordano's Alecto is hardly the sublime Fury of Greek mythology who receives the supplications of wounded souls to avenge the wrongs done to them. His is an ungainly figure – her wings are lopsided claws; her eyes are bulbous and unfocused. Though indeed, nothing about Giordano's unique approach to sculpture lends itself to gravitas. Even without the detailed list of stuff that makes up his assemblage, the viewer immediately perceives that no material he uses is conventional. In this work, Giordano employs acrylic polymer emulsion, rubber, steel wool, brick, sock, artificial teeth, hosiery, plastic Christmas ornaments, and many other things, to build up this tender tribute to his brother and muse. In life, our most ardent defenders are perhaps more homely and surprisingly quirky than those in myth.