By Spring Li, Taylor Zenelovski, Andrew Tan, Nadia Harari and Josephine Gaal

Encountering a frustrating creative block, a passionate artist begins to doubt her muse, once the cornerstone of her inspiration. As she delves deeper into her work and emotions, she realises that her muse may not be the ideal catalyst she imagined. Expanding on studies of objectification, obsession, and compulsive behaviour in art, Decadence highlights the conflicts experienced by young and emerging creatives.

 

The foundation of our visual narrative explores the intersection of aesthetic pursuits and twisted psyches. This concept evolved into a subversion of the overly romanticised artist-muse relationship. By drawing from the overlapping themes of superficiality, beauty and idealised expectations, we aim to emphasise the perilous nature of seeking perfection in an inherently imperfect world.

Opening on a recreation of Caravaggio’s Narcissus (1599), Decadence simultaneously acknowledges the art of the tableau in cinema and underscores the conceitedness of the artist. The desire to create is intrinsic, often times the artistic produce is but a mere reflection of oneself. 

Developing Decadence involved constant deconstruction and reformation. All members involved were pushed to their creative limits and propelled into cycles of experimentation. Whilst challenging, the process was a sort of metamorphosis for our abilities as creatives continuing forward. The final result is a proud harmonisation of our passions, artistic visions and style.