These large scale prints are made from woodcut plates that form a triptych composed of three solid cedar blocks: two doors and a central piece. I have designed and carved them in such a way that the two doors come together to form a composition too. Carnal Portal refers to an opening in the body through which one transcends into the unknown, the divine, death, or sexual ecstasy. It explores vulvic and vaginal imagery in association to religion, particularly Catholicism and Jesus’ wound.
The two side panels or doors depict two scenes from the Bible, the birth of Eve and the sacrifice of Isaac, they present Catholic themes of creation and sacrifice in relation to female reproduction: birth and menstruation respectively. The central piece is much more ambiguous, with two kneeling figures facing each other and into a central motif- is this an apparition, an abstract symbol, or is it rooted in their physical reality? What is the nature of the bodily connection they have with it?
Carnal Portal Doors and Carnal Portal (central piece) measure 60x90cm and the whole triptych is 95x110cm.
All prints are numbered and signed by the artist.
Julia R. Gallego 