Description: Silver Thatch Diptych pays direct homage to Andy Warhol’s iconic Marilyn Diptych, of the 1960s. Where Marilyn’s tragic personal life did not corelate with her glamorous public life, the silver thatch palm holds a similarly contrasting story. Silver Thatch – Coccothrinax Proctorii – is a species unique to the Cayman Islands, and holds a revered role for being the National Tree, with a cultural significance rooted in rope, roofing and thatch ware. As a symbol associated with culture, history and heritage, its name and image are used by prestigious organisations throughout the country. However, the tree suffers without legal protection, threatened by large scale loss of habitat caused by deforestation. Idolised and prolific at first glance, the silver thatch is an endangered species. It is also bizarrely hard to get hold of, absent from most nurseries, possibly because it’s slow growth makes it less profitable for landscape companies. But we should make efforts to plant these trees all the same. By the time this years’ Silver Thatch seedlings are dying of old age, the native forests of the Cayman Islands are likely to have dwindled to whatever areas we have managed to set aside for protection.
The ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ message is echoed in the production of this ephemeral artwork, which will not survive beyond this exhibition. The left-hand panel depicts the National Tree as a colourful glorified icon. The right-hand panel demonstrates loss of colour and substance, suggesting the very threat of the tree’s existence. The viewer reads the message from left to right, becoming further detached from the details of the original pencil drawing of a silver thatch tree planted by the artist in her garden. Where Warhol achieved a simple synthesis of two 20th century arts – photography and screen print – this artwork achieves a synthesis of pencil and photoshop, to deliver a 21st century result.
Title: “Silver Thatch Diptych”
Date: October 2022
Medium: Print on vinyl wrap
Size: Diptych, two panels each 4’ W x 8’ H
