Situated near UBC in a connected studio home, Lilian Broca worked day and night for three years making stunning mosaic panels which depict Biblical stories of empowering heroines. Her current series titled Heroine of a Thousand Pieces: The Judith Mosaics, tells the story of the beautiful widow Judith and the General Holofernes. Holofernes is sent to destroy Judith’s city and so she sneaks into his camp, plies him with alcohol and beheads him as soon as he falls asleep.
Despite the gory end, these Biblical narratives about women taking control and becoming leaders in society are a major aspect of what inspires Broca. Throughout her career, she has addressed ongoing women’s issues using powerful mythical heroines to re-tell stories for contemporary times.
Broca was exposed to art, specifically the Byzantine style, during her childhood growing up in Communist Romania. Despite the difficult financial times, Broca’s parents managed to introduce her to various music and art. This marked the beginning of her interest in uniting old stories with a modern message.
Broca's mosaics are far more contemporary than the traditional Roman style.
"Doing mosaics, it seems to me, is taking a fragmented world and putting those fragments together to make the world whole," she said. "In that sense, it is very contemporary."
Her style falls under the spectrum of "critical post modernism." While having the ability to represent traditional art and still maintain its modernity, mosaics are constantly dynamic in helping the depicted figures come alive.
The Baroque style of The Judith Mosaics is different from her previous works as it focuses on the elaborate theatricality of the heroine's personality. Her simple poses manage to convey movement in the smallest details — even the colour of Judith’s clothes carry meaning. Given the lack of historical knowledge about 5th century widow’s clothing and prayer, Broca had artistic license to add her own interpretation.
Starting with preliminary sketches and cartoons using her family members as models, Broca combined her contemporary ideas through the unifying motif of a torn sketchbook page. Each mosaic looks as if it has been sketched onto a piece of paper and then coloured in the centre.
“In the ancient days, they would use a scroll. I am doing it in the 21st century with a sketchbook and paper with a perforated top," she said. "I decided to show that and I started with a line. With [this] became a monochromatic 2D and then 3D in the middle. I even left some of the mistakes and raw lines. This is the cohesive element of all the Judiths.”
Unfortunately, her international fame has made a popular source for high fashion brands in the Middle East to take her mosaic designs and print them on scarves without consent. Once Broca realized the difficulty in tracking down all the third parties involved, she responded by deciding to design her own scarves to sell.
Broca’s unique approach will be exhibited with the black and white sketches hung on one end, the painted cartoons on the other and the mosaics in the middle.
Her exhibit will be available to preview at the Il Museo in the Italian Cultural Centre, opening on November 12 until March 31, 2016.
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