:: 2009 :: 120cm x 60cm :: Acrylics, Inks & Markers on Canvas ::
This work drew its inspiration from a fragment of a fresco dating to 1500BC found at Knossos which has been named the Kite Runners fragment. Featuring a number of men of different races who appear to be running with kite strings, the fresco challenges, for me, the idea that the Ancient Meditteranean was a group of small-scale tribal cultures with only occasional contact with the outside world. The mixed-race aspect of the fresco suggested to me that Cretans were not only in regular contact with and inspired by African people, but also likely celebrated their dances during occasions of state visits and the arrival of merchants from those distant shores.
I have therefore imaginitively reconstructs such a dance both in celebration of the safe arrival of the Libyan merchants and in honour of the Libyan Goddess depicted atop the shrine on the right hand side. It's quite possible that Libyan and Egyptian influences on the Aegean were very strong at some points: not least the Libyan deity named as Neith or Nuit may have served as the origins of the famous Greek Goddess Athena, and the Linear A text in the sky comes from the partly-deciphered Minoan Libation Formula, underlining the devotional aspect of this dance
The Original Fresco Fragment (Knossos reconstruction)
