THE GIRLIE WEREWOLF PROJECT: Dingo Variation
Prints and new works by JAZMINA CININAS
4 Septermber - 10 October, 2004  @  FREMANTLE ARTS CENTRE
Reviewed by Judith McGrath

This exhibition reminds the informed and instructs the naive on the folklore of women as werewolves, and its long history in myth and movies. Cininas blends fact and fiction, face and fur so well in her work she almost proves a kindred between woman and wolf. What these exhibits do confirm is the artist's printmaking skills, and a nod to academic investigation with a wink to the viewer.

For most of us, everything we needed to know about werewolves was learned before entering our teens. In my case this education came not only from B grade movies but a large anthology of murder and mystery stories. The large book was taken down from the shelf on stormy nights when the lights went out and candles were lit, so Mother could read aloud a story or two, if we behaved. We loved being scared to our back teeth all the while feeling safe and secure squashed together in the one chair.

That same spooky-but-safe sensation was relived while walking around this exhibition. It may have been awakened by the drone of low volume screams and soft toned dialogue coming from a video compilation of scenes from old films, not my imagination. The Girlie Werewolf Picture Show is a well edited video that knows just when to fade out and leave something to our imagination. The similarity of this myth in a such a variety of countries (and movies) has the viewer questioning how the folk tale was formed and why it spread so far.

The artist pays tribute to the all but extinct Lithuanian werewolf in some of her exhibits. For example, Lithuanian Werewolf Suit for Girls is a collection of costumes that consist of a set of pointy ears, a pair of gloves complete with long fingernails, a wolf eye mask and a belt with a furry tail. They appear to be 'one-size-fits-all' outfits as the exhibited photographs Gelenzines Vilkmerges (Iron She-Wolves) attest to how they can be worn by little girls and mature women. Only Monika, with egg beater in hand, evokes a sense of fear in this viewer.

Cininas also refers to the Australian interpretation of a wolf (in dingo clothing) as the usurper of innocence and object of fear. The lino cut Hunting Lindy presents a hybrid of the woman and dingo in a manner that reminds us of witch hunts conduced in earlier centuries. Meanwhile we are assured that Wolfsbane Works on Dingoes Too in the fine portrait of a fair haired bitch (in the canine sense of the word) set among purple flowers.

The prints where aspects of animal and human blend seamlessly make excellent viewing. Also intriguing are those images where canine heads appear to wear human eye masks. All are faultless examples of the reduction method in lino cut printmaking and that point alone, no matter the image, provides a rewarding experience for the viewer.

You don't need to carry a silver tipped cane or a bouquet of Wolfsbane to feel comfortable with this exhibition. You may fear the domesticated wolf or the wild woman but you will certainly be enchanted by the Werewolf Project.

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