Shining DESPAIR
Eliane-Catrie Blouin Achim
Canada
Bracelet “Shadows of compassion”, 2024
Bronze, liquid enamel, 90 mm diameter, 20 mm width, 13 mm thickness
Wax carving and lost wax casting
Photo : RL Black
Brooch “Sparkling sorrow”, 2024
Bronze, resin, pigments, 65 mm diameter, 25 mm thickness
Wax carving and lost wax casting, riveting
Photo : R.L. Black
With the Rose Cochon series, Éliane-Catrie Blouin Achim expresses a profound sense of despair by addressing the issue of animal ethics through works where beauty and discomfort coexist in tension. In her bronze jewelry-sculptures, clusters of pigs and calves are frozen into indistinct masses, suggesting the loss of individual identity.
Pink, traditionally associated with innocence, takes on an ironic tone here, transforming softness into a quiet, almost muted provocation. These works, both alluring and unsettling, evoke contradictory feelings that invite self-reflection. By exploiting this paradox between attraction and aversion, the artist sheds light on our blindness and complacency toward animal suffering. These pieces thus transcend mere adornments; they reflect our inner contradictions and invite us to question our relationship with all living beings.