Many thanks to our good friend, Dominic Tetrault, who recently came across these wonderful sirens, drawn by Robert Desnos – and has kindly shared them with us, at La Sirena.
‘Sirena (mermaid) teaching singing to a bird’ (Robert Desnos)
‘Sirena (mermaid) teaching singing to a bird’ (Robert Desnos)
The siren is an important figure in Desnos’s work and life. Here is one of several poems featuring sirens.
His partner and second great love, the artist, Youki (Lucie Badoud) was also associated with the siren, which she had tattooed on her thigh.
Poem – ‘Mermaid’ (1930), taken from ‘The Voice of Robert Desnos: Selected Poems’, Translated by William Kulik, The Sheep Meadow Press (Riverdale-on-Hudson, New York, 2004).
Youki Desnos showing her mermaid tattoo (Robert Doisneau, Paris c.1950)
Taya and I recently met up with several of the surrealists of Wales, including Steve Handsaker, John Richardson, Tracy Thursfield and John Welson, in the beautiful mountainous setting of Clyro, on my birthday. John Richardson kindly hosted the meeting at his house.
JW, TT, TK, DT, JR & SH.
JR & SH
TT & JW
JR, SH & DT
TK & DT
DT
We created a collective collage and some collective poems. Although, Jean Bonnin was not able to attend, he was certainly there in spirit and provided materials and ideas, which we incorporated into the collective work.
‘How I Sometimes Feel’ (Jean Bonnin, Steve Handsaker, Taya King, John Richardson, Darren Thomas, Tracy Thursfield & John Welson) 25th & 26th July, 2022 (29.5 x 42cm).
I Am Still Here
Fridge Eyes and bakerlite eyebrows Underwater music filters through the night There where we murdered the mirrors Vulnerable lips choking on mirrors Invoking the mystery of days to come Announcing the moon balloon of memory The lost child embraced chance encounters Coins tossed, dice shaken, and light bulbs smashed Light filtered in the shrine of a stolen memory singing I am a man, I am a woman, I am a fighter – I am still here
Over A Number
Over a number Blue stolen shadows creep Light refracts on the breaking of dawn The asparagus train pulls into the station We play games with their faces nightly The dragon dresses in the latest fashion And ice falls from the eyes of the woman in black As the dice swallow the odd numbers only The egg is buried in the graveyard, never to be seen again As golden tears fall on the luminous ground
Jean Bonnin Taya King John Richardson Darren Thomas
26 July 2022
I also received a number of birthday gifts. Here are two that Tracy Thursfield and John Welson created:
‘Untitled’ (Front View). Wool on slate (Tracy Thursfield)‘Untitled’ (Back View). Wool on slate (Tracy Thursfield)‘Untitled’. Acrylic on paper (John Welson)
The sunflower smiles through the blood of the rubble to greet the new day
He who cannot play chess only uses brutality
Butterfly children slaughtered by noblemen in the city
Sugar the petrol, sell your guns and hide
The children roar in wild tears until they cry themselves to sleep
Ghosts should rise up to drag the warmonger to hell!
The desert queen serves the mad king
The mad king is distended
Avenging strife embitters human life
What is invisible will light up the sky in incandescent colours
The doll child hides in East Budleigh
Ivan Bilibin and Pushkin should curse the mad king to hell
A chorus of war cries from behind keyboards far from harm
The alchemy of dreaming heals the broken hearts
Screams and curses across myriad media apps
Karkhiv can never sleep, can only dream of peace, can only endure in the hearts and minds of those who will carry hope to the highest mountains for all to see
A half-hearted re-enactment of old mistakes, but with real deaths
Extra points for the grim reaper for taking the mad king
Workers and refugees captured and tortured in a celluloid prison
The young woman took her revolver to bed and was prepared to use it
Inferno awaits the mad king
The boys in the field are bored, or afraid or just excited by the game
My son is missing an eye and my mother’s wing has been ripped
Dante should pull him down there
Inevitable as a pub brawl at closing time, last orders called
The imaginary letter, Z, doesn’t exist in Russian. Neither should the mad king
The inferno takes them all to his heart until they march to the beat of the war drums, the death drums, the holocaust drums
No one is leaving until we find out who really started it
Every embrace is a sign of hope, of defiance
Where are the angels now?
The wind blows the shards of the silent mirrors across their broken faces and captures their death throes for all to see
A world left blind and toothless by the law of revenge
We suffocated on steam that turned into locks of human hair
The mad king of antiquity belongs in the past, not now
We run and burn and fall and run over and over again
And midnight trembled to see such terrors
The fighting leaves old men deformed in the streets
May Baba Yaga escort the mad king to hell
A stain upon another generation, damned to repeat the whims of their rabid masters
All of this just to reset the board for the next time
Blood stained the monochrome city of ashes
We, the invisible demand to be heard even if we cannot be seen
May the liar choke on his lies
She hung up the remnants of shame like a ventriloquist’s flag for all to see
Criminals jostle to steal the clothes and words of the famous dead
The mad king is fragile, just like a chess king. And like a chess king, I want to throw him to the ground
The war is fought by actors and actresses, not by women and children
Who pays the price?
We bleed
Spent
How much longer?
Collective poem by Doug Campbell, Taya King, Daina Kopp and Darren Thomas
Digital Collage ‘The Board and the Game’ by Doug CampbellHand cut collage with mixed media ‘The Mad King’ by Taya KingPainting, with mixed media ‘Poor Strategy’ by Daina KoppPainting, with mixed media ‘My Prayers’ by Daina KoppHand cut collage with mixed media ‘In All This Light’ by Darren Thomas
Taya King: La Sirena Surrealist Group participated in the International Exhibition of Surrealism by submitting collective poetry texts, artworks, and films, which was followed by their physical representation as a group at the exhibition in Cairo (February 2022). This historically significant event also marked the first time that all members of La Sirena have met each other since the group’s virtual inception the previous year, during lockdown. I was particularly proud to present my two films, La Femme Automatiqueand La Femme (Re)trouvée (2021), at the exhibition.
Opening Ceremony at the Kodak GalleryOpening Ceremony at the Kodak GalleryOpening Ceremony at the Kodak GalleryOpening Ceremony at the Kodak GalleryOpening Ceremony at the Kodak GalleryOpening Ceremony at the Kodak GalleryOpening Ceremony at the Kodak GalleryOpening Ceremony at the Kodak GalleryOpening Ceremony at the Kodak GalleryOpening Ceremony at the Kodak GalleryOpening Ceremony at the Kodak GalleryPhotography Exhibition at Lamasatt GalleryPhotography Exhibition at Lamasatt GalleryPhotography Exhibition at Lamasatt GalleryPhotography Exhibition at Lamasatt GalleryPhotography Exhibition at Lamasatt GalleryPhotography Exhibition at Lamasatt GalleryPhotography Exhibition at Lamasatt GalleryPhotography Exhibition at Lamasatt GalleryPhotography Exhibition at Lamasatt GalleryPhotography Exhibition at Lamasatt GalleryPhotography Exhibition at Lamasatt GalleryFilm Screenings at Cairo AtelierFilm Screenings at Cairo Atelier
Darren Thomas: Being part of this great exhibition, in Cairo has been a truly special experience. As well as showing several of my collages and photographs, I screened the third film in my trilogy The Dream Key (eclipse) and performed my poetry. But my abiding memory is the collective and international nature of this meeting of hearts and minds from the surrealist community, offering a wonderful opportunity to meet old and new comrades alike from so many countries and different cultures and take part in a collective dialogue and group activities – the poetry made by all!
Kodak GalleryKodak GalleryKodak GalleryOpening Ceremony at the Kodak GalleryOpening Ceremony at the Kodak GalleryOpening Ceremony at the Kodak GalleryOpening Ceremony at the Kodak GalleryPhotography Exhibition at Lamasatt GalleryPhotography Exhibition at Lamasatt GalleryPhotography Exhibition at Lamasatt GalleryPhotography Exhibition at Lamasatt GalleryPhotography Exhibition at Lamasatt GalleryFilm Screenings at Cairo AtelierFilm Screenings at Cairo AtelierFilm Screenings at Cairo AtelierFilm Screenings at Cairo AtelierFilm Screenings at Cairo AtelierFilm Screenings at Cairo AtelierFilm Screenings at Cairo AtelierFilm Screenings at Cairo Atelier
Doug Campbell: I had been excited to see the rebirth of Egyptian surrealism over the last few years, and was thrilled to be invited to Cairo to participate in the exhibition. Despite the many challenges faced by the organisers, the event more than lived up to expectations. A meeting of minds in a magical space, and as such, perhaps necessarily challenging. For me, those challenges were a reason to get out there and get involved, not a reason to stay at home. I’m so glad I did, and I’m sure the contacts made and the energy generated will lead to many further adventures.
Kodak GalleryKodak GalleryKodak GalleryOpening Ceremony at the Kodak GalleryOpening Ceremony at the Kodak GalleryOpening Ceremony at the Kodak GalleryOpening Ceremony at the Kodak GalleryOpening Ceremony at the Kodak GalleryOpening Ceremony at the Kodak GalleryOpening Ceremony at the Kodak GalleryCollective Collage at the Kodak GalleryCollective Collage at the Kodak GalleryKodak GalleryFilm Screenings at Cairo AtelierClosing Ceremony at ConsoleyaCollective Collage at the Kodak GalleryCollective Collage at the Kodak Gallery
Daina Kopp: I was over the moon to come to Cairo for such a monumental surrealist exhibit. As a polyglot, I was in my element to be surrounded by artists and creators of all kinds from 28 countries and 4 continents who flew in. It was an honor and a pleasure to submit artwork and perform with my surrealist dream-inspired band, Hypnagogic Telegram. It was enchanting to meet with my fellow sirens from La Sirena and I look forward to further collaborations with the artists who contributed to this amazing historical exhibit. An ancient country hosting the next chapter of surrealism. Bravo!
Opening Ceremony at the Kodak GalleryOpening Ceremony at the Kodak GalleryOpening Ceremony at the Kodak GalleryOpening Ceremony at the Kodak GalleryOpening Ceremony at the Kodak GalleryKodak GalleryKodak GalleryKodak GalleryClosing Ceremony at ConsoleyaClosing Ceremony at ConsoleyaClosing Ceremony at Consoleya
La Sirena 