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Item: Nicholas Heracles

2012

Sculpture, 38.5 × 20 × 19 cm.
Materials: ceramics, porcelain, canvas, mixed media

Collection: M HKA, Antwerp - Donated by Friends of M HKA, 2012 (Inv. no. S0472).

Nadia Naveau combines classical iconography with elements from contemporary visual culture and personal narratives. By incorporating different materials and styles within a single work, she creates multifaceted and layered images. Nicholas Heracles is a contemporary interpretation of a traditional bust. The portrait of her partner, the painter Nick Andrews, merges with that of Heracles, a hero from the Greek mythology. Heracles (or Hercules) was famous for the Twelve Labours he fulfilled at the request of King Eurystheus. He was renowned for blending immense strength with sharp intelligence, a combination that enabled him to accomplish great deeds. In antiquity, he was often depicted monumentally and in action, for example whilst slaying a serpent or a lion.

Naveau draws on the formal language of the classical bust, but gives it a personal and contemporary interpretation. Her sculptures are never defined by a single form but instead combine diverse shapes and materials into dynamic, multi-layered works, as strikingly exemplified in this piece.