Orchids and the Void of Lust – G2-3

Brian Clarke’s ‘Orchids and the Void of Lust’ is a stained glass folding screen produced in 2017, made of 12 sections held together by a black wooden frame. Large blue flowers extend over a flat green surface, with darker leaf shapes to suggest a sense of depth. In stark contrast to the brilliant blues and greens, on the left side is a black rectangle which seems to attract and absorb the flowers’ energy and brightness.

The delicate and changeable orchid shapes are among Clarke’s favourite subjects due to their beauty and spiritual connotations. Both the present work’s intriguing title and its generative composition convey intricate and expansive interpretative potentials, from considerations on morality to appreciation for the constant changes in life. The changing luminous appearance of stained glass, dependent on the panel’s position, the time of the day and season, is explicitly associated by Clarke to the cycles of life.

In this artwork, the delicate outlines of the flowers are accurately portrayed through the outstanding technical innovations pioneered by the artist. Employing a new technology to avoid the use of lead cames, this folding screen can fully interact with light and modify space, variously integrating with or disrupting its surroundings.