Archetypes

Webster’s dictionary defines archetype as: “the original pattern or model of which all things of the same type are representations or copies: prototype; a perfect example.” It also defines archetype as “an inherited idea or mode of thought in the psychology of C. G. Jung that is derived from the experience of the race and is present in the unconscious of the individual” In this work, I have brought these two ideas together. No matter what culture and gender we belong to, cultural archetypes are embedded in our psyche. We unconsciously aspire to fit into these molds that are predetermined for us. I appropriated formulas of human proportions from an ancient sculptural treatise called the “Shipa Shastra” in order to create this work. I question these archetypes that drive our search for a perfection that does not exist. The audience is invited to compare themselves to these archetypes through casting shadows on the grid.