Artist Statement

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Informed by autobiographical experience and Late Iron Age cultural research, my 2023 Graduate art exhibition Ragnarök explored and likened intergenerational trauma and child abuse to an apocalyptic "end of the world" as told in Norse mythology (and comparable to Armageddon/The Rapture in Christian mythology). Viking legend tells of Ragnarök (Old Norse for “fate[/doom] of the Gods”), the near-total destruction of the cosmos by flood and fire. Additionally, according to mythology, Valgrind (“Death’s Gate”) is the entrance to Valhǫll (Anglicized to “Valhalla”), where Odin welcomes the souls of battle-slain warriors. Ragnarök incorporated mixed, nontraditional media to depict disturbing and gory imagery, which I use as an analogy to trauma, abuse, and the subsequent mental wounds from repeated exposure to violence.

In Ragnarök, I focused on recognizing the existence of abuse, as so often survivors are denied justice or any acknowledgement of their lived experience. Through this present show, my sequel (After) Ragnarök, I seek to investigate living in the aftermath of what was nearly The End. In mythology, Ragnarök is not a single catastrophe but rather a repeating cycle; the world will end only to begin over and over again. Likewise, healing and recovery are not one-time, linear events.

My studio work explores the effects of personal and women’s collective complex trauma using a broad yet blended iconographic canon, predominantly drawn from Norse and Christian mythology. I additionally use imagery of mannequins and dolls (inspired by Surrealist Hans Bellmer) in combination with special effects and “gory” imagery, to symbolize misogynistic dehumanization and sexual violence towards women, as well as the negative self-image that tends to result from forced and fragile femininity (for example, the belief that one’s worth is dependent upon conformity to patriarchal beauty standards). Combining nontraditional and multimedia installation, (After) Ragnarök features sculpture, painting, and performance to create a sensory experience intended to both overwhelm and soothe. Surviving our toughest battles typically leaves us with scars and unpleasant memories, yet beyond Valgrind is Paradise.

In the installation, I portray Valgrind as the Gate by a suspended, dual-sided wooden panel. The front features black lattice, with an interactive peephole above black steps, to look through to the Other Side, where the images are blurry, layered, and distorted, a representation of dissociation and flashbacks. The ribbon-like lines abstractly symbolize gore and guts while paying homage to the Jelling Style of Viking Age Scandinavia. 

The installation features scenes representing emotional distress, nightmares, and violent flashbacks from The (almost) End surrounding Valgrind, while the woman, Líf (“Life”), stands on the Other Side of the trauma, bloodied from the long fight to cross the Gate. While these wounds and haunting scenes will never go away, Life carries on, tending to Her Garden in quiet acceptance: she does not care to ask why Ragnarök happened, only how she will carry on after. Cultivating New Life from the ashes of the previous world, She creates a home within herself.

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Bio

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Sarah Elizabeth Theller, M.A. (b. 1998) is a contemporary artist and art historian. 

After Theller moved from her hometown in the Ohio Bible Belt to California in 2016, she graduated with high distinction from CSU Fresno, first with her Bachelor’s in Studio Arts in 2020 and again with her Master’s in Art History in 2023.  She also earned her certification as a Special Effects Makeup Artist in 2020. To accompany her award-winning MA thesis “The Gilded Valkyrie,” Theller exhibited her art show “Ragnarök” at M Street Graduate Studios in May of 2023, which likened experiencing traumatic event(s) to an apocalyptic (internal) end of the world. Combining research, mixed-media painting/drawing, and SFX makeup artistry has been Theller’s way of coping with complex PTSD for over a decade, by channeling symptoms into creative energy, with the overarching goal of exploring humanity (while existing in a woman’s body) under patriarchal societies. 

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Sarah Elizabeth Theller