Rococo Masque Pixiu
William Eicholtz
Details
- Artist
- William Eicholtz
- Title
- Rococo Masque Pixiu
- Year
- 2022
- Medium
- Glazed earthenware
- Size
- 62 cm
- Details
Provenance
the artist
Further Information
Resplendent as woolly ringleted masks, these Australian Jumbuks become an elaborate disguise for a greedy creature that emerged from the artists memories during lockdown 2020.
First seen during the artists residencies in China, Pixiu are a pan Asian chimera that invites good luck and wealth, and are auspicious for those who have had a bad year. Pixiu has an insatiable appetite for gold and jewels, but has no asshole, so the wealth never is expelled. Reimagined and costumed in this ornate finery, these Pixiu even gobble down their woolly, elaborate tendrils.
These hungry Pixiu are as Australian as the coyly sheepish disguises they wear.
The theatrical, campy representation of the iconic Aussie Jumbuk is a familiar character in William Eicholtz work and continues through this multicultural reincarnation wrought during lockdown.