Cloé Leclerc

Infinite Prayers, A Meditation on Grief

Infinite Prayers, A Meditation on Grief is a painting dedicated to the commemoration of my maternal grandmother, who passed away at the start September 2021. Shrouded in grief, I began to illustrate figures in various states, those engaged in prayer gestures composing the border, as well as angels, treehouses, dancing and fetal beings, all in communion with one another. The photographs along the edges of the painting are of my hands, pierced with sewing needles in honor of the crafts practices passed down by my grandmother. The Peruvian Huayruro seed, worn traditionally for spiritual protection, adorns the edges of the frame; they were created with painted paper-maché. The painting blends and layers self-authored photographs, hand-drawn illustrations and sampled text from Roland Barthes, A Lover’s Discourse to recreate the personal landscape of mourning.