Chinoiserie Series I

"Recall that Camus in 'The Myth of Sisyphus' suggests that, in an effort to outwit the absurd, we might live various roles: as writer, as conqueror, as seducer, as actor." -Sartre

This set of chinoiserie panels is not available for purchase, however I can paint bespoke colours/ animals. Please visit the contact page or e-mail contact@camillejoy.com for more information.

Inspired by Camus’ theories on mitigating the meaninglessness of our existence I decided to create these chinoiserie panels with each of his theories written on the panels. There must be more than these four ways to circumvent our insignificance I thought, so I created other chinoiserie sets with more suggestions of roles humans can undertake to create ‘meaning’ in their lives.

This is the first series and uses Camus’ original four suggestions. I've painted the works using gouache with each of his suggestions written in red.

I’ve painted chinoiserie style panels but I didn’t want the animals docile and tame -as they usually are in this genre- to make an elegant, palatable backdrop. So I added more rambunctious creatures.

Written in cursive it resembles the red thread people have been wearing for millennia as a talisman thought to have magical powers of protection, good luck and guidance.  In literature, the red thread stands for narrative progress and the continuity of the main storyline where the thread’s function is to pull the reader through the story taking us from one crucial point to the next. If one is to live one’s life as a story these threads could prove useful.

In Greek mythology, Ariadne fell in love with an Athenian hero, Theseus, who was sent to a labyrinth to be killed by a minotaur. She helped him escape by giving him a thread to find his way out. Perhaps the best way to embrace our inevitable reality is via one of these guided escape routes!