Ceres is the Goddess of agriculture, grain crops, fertility and motherly relationships. Here we see her on her serpent-drawn chariot searching through the night for her daughter Proserpina, whom has been kidnapped by Pluto/Hades/Dis. During her search the growth of crops stops and people starve as a consequence.
I wanted to build an image, based on limitations. The Rocking Goat Challenge was given to me by a dear friend, as was the Roman theme, playing on alternative uses for wheelchairs.
That lead to the idea of a “Diminished Ceres”, her support and godhood being very limited in today’s world; her Chariot not as splendid; her serpents not as terrifying, but her determination as powerful as ever.
Collaborating with Effie was a dream, her determined look is perfect for the modern Ceres. Adorned with (not flaming) torch, she carries her symbolic wheat in biscuit form in a convenient purse.
Of all the imagery of Ceres in paintings, statuary and coins, I was intrigued by Vasari’s fresco of Ceres on a Chariot that looks like a skateboard pulled by Dragonhounds (or Dogsnakes if you like). It’s in Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. I found that image both humorous and human, and it started me on this project. The Goatsnake is an analogy for Vesari’s serpents and the wheelchair for the chariot. This gives the modern diminished-yet-undiminished Ceres and her search.