"Eve's Awakening" by Candice Raquel Lee

Eve's Awakening: (edition of 8), bronze
Size (in): 8H x 18W x 39"L; weight: 100 lbs.
$6750 CAD including freight

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The Sculpture: When I created Eve's Awakening, it was the hardest sculpture I had done, as I had to present the interaction of two figures that were in intimate physical contact. I have spent a great amount of time on the movement in this piece. You will notice that Adam's front shoulder drops where Eve's hand pushes it down. Because Adam is clasping Eve's hand, her back arm is drawn downward. As she flexes her foot and begins to lift herself off of the dormant Adam, the curve of Eve's hip and flank accurately reflect her movement. By contrast, the slack legs of the inert Adam bear a sense of heavy slumber though his facial expression shows the beginnings of his own uneasy awakening.

Eve's Awakening also seeks to convey the conflicting emotions of lovers who fear total intimacy with an other yet desire oneness. Eve's face and movement show her shock at awakening while still joined to a man, or rather a strange being, of whom she has no knowledge. Consequently, she pulls away; yet, the unconscious Adam still instinctively holds her hand in a gesture of love and comfort. Ultimately, man and woman, husband and wife, will strike a balance between individuality and their condition as beings of one flesh.

Interestingly, when many people look at the piece, their immediate reaction is shock that it depicts people having sex. Not only is this not what the sculpture shows, but such a reaction is also indicative of shame over sexuality that exactly reflects our loss of Edenic innocence.

To enhance the meaning and richness of the piece, I have selected a graduated patina. If you look closely, you will see that the lower part of Adam's body which acts as the base for the sculpture is patinated in a uniform dark brown. Rising upward toward Eve and where the two figures join, the patina is the same dark brown highlighted with a lighter golden brown, the same colour that uniformly covers Eve's body. In this way, I show the blending and gradual physical separation of the first man and woman.

Eve's Awakening is the largest sculpture I have made to date and it is equally at home in a garden bed, on top of a piano, or on a console table.

The Story: Eve's Awakening depicts the well-known story of Eve's creation from Adam's rib. The Hebrew word that is often translated as "rib" (tsayla) can also mean "side," and there is a rabbinical tradition where Eve simply splits off from Adam's side. In this piece, I seek to depict how Eve would react to awakening while in the process of separating from the still unconscious Adam.

E-mail: candice@candiceraquel.com | Phone: 519.853.9037