In these multi-layered works, Wiggins has found a profound connection to the archetypal / mythical feminine in the environment near Evoramonte in the Alentejo region of Portugal. Here she meets her self again, merging with other selves that are buried deep within her psyche and indeed within the souls of all women. Wiggins performs as; a matriarch facing us erect between earth and sky, a woman sitting in the ruins of a building looking towards the sacred mountain, a cloaked figure at the gate to the ancient city, a seated figure covered in black cloth, and finally she inhabits the rocky ravine called the Pego do Sino (Canyon of the Bells) swathed in a black veil. These figures recall classic characters in mythology and fairy tales, reflecting universal concerns in contemporary terms in a mystic, primordial environment. These works are all collaborations with Portuguese photographer Luís Branco, who has documented these actions and added his unique sense of the visual world and of the photographic image. This series was produced with the generous support of the Obras Artist Residency near Evoramonte, Portugal. The six minute video was produced by filmaker Rui Fernandes during the exhibition of these works at the Palácio dos Marqueses de Praia e Monforte in Estremoz, Portugal in 2017.
(photography by Luís Branco)