G U A R D I A N S  O F  B L I S S

 

‘Guardians of Bliss’ is a green glazed ceramic urn with many relief faces on the outside and a tuft of horsehair coming out of a multifaceted head on the lid. ‘Bliss’ not only refers to the artist’s mother’s maiden name, but also to a state of perfect happiness or euphoria. This piece stands in limbo as a relic to the dead, but also to the living, as guardians of bliss can refer to both the artists deceased mother: Helen Bliss, and to the wellbeing of those alive.

 

In addition, the piece also references an earlier work by the artist titled ‘Et In Arcadia Ego’; another memorial to her mother, which stands in an indefinable space of anonymity, as the title implies ‘Even in Arcadia there is death’. Camilla Bliss diffuses the boundaries between life and death giving an ulterior perspective that death does not need to follow the dark garments of tradition, or the light veil of the living, but in fact these subjects are very much intertwined and open to the viewers interpretation. 

​

​

​

Guardians of Bliss, Ceramic & Horsehair, 16 x 15 x 32cm, 2014