St.-Barbara

This project is about an issue that is close to my heart: (the closing of) the coalmines in the area where I grew up (Limburg, Belgium).
The woman you see is Saint Barbara, the miners' patron saint.
In my ceramics entitled “In the name of my father, my grandfather and their friends”, she holds a mining lamp with the number my father had when he worked in the coal mine of Houthalen (B). The half bowls are meant to offer coal to Saint Barbara, but are referring to holy-water fonts as well.
Former miners told me that they never stepped into the elevator that took them 800 meters down, without saying a little prayer to Saint Barbara first. She was their light in the darkness. So is the coal mounted on canvas: it reflects so much light that it becomes lighter then black paint. A glimpse of light is all St.-Barbara needs to sparkle like a star.

3 Paintings: 1m20 x 1m (oil or acrylics & coal on canvas)
20 Ceramics: appr. 9cm x 19cm (glazed ceramics & coal), can be mounted on 1mx1m