The Scapegoat

Emma Kathleen Hepburn Ferrer presents her first ever solo show at Sapar Contemporary. The exhibition comprises a small body of work examining the image and historical connotation of “the scapegoat”. The exhibition’s titular painting is inspired by William Holman Hunt’s The Scapegoat (1854-1855). Ferrer, like Hunt, examines the Jewish ritual of sacrificing a goat to cleanse the people’s sins. Lying on its side, the animal appears to have fallen down into a black and brown bruise of a landscape. Amidst this abyss, pink and purple toned raindrops fall onto the dying animal. These touches of delicate whimsy echo throughout the gallery and provide an insight into Ferrer’s emerging but distinctive style. At times, she even uses the malachite she mined from the land around her studio to mimic a sprinkle of glitter. 

In her artist statement, Ferrer mentions religious and art historical references, there may also be another source of inspiration which lies closer to her heart. The granddaughter of cultural icon and celebrity, Audrey Hepburn, Ferrer has opted for a low octane lifestyle in comparison to her grandmother’s gilded reputation. Painting and working from her home in the hills of Tuscany, Ferrer admits she is most at peace when she is alone. Apart from her evident knowledge and passion for the history of painting and iconography, her choice of subject also suggests a personal connection to an inner world of both melancholic reflection and sparks of joy. Placed within the harsh dichotomy of Nietzschean isolated achievement at the top of the mountain, and the naive, hopeful pastel palette she at times employs, The Scapegoat is a reminder to revere the darkness of solitude while always making room for the pinks and purples in life.