Tala Madani
Cupid piss with goggles, 2011
Oil on linen
50.8 x 45.7 cm
Tala Madani’s paintings lay bare hyper-masculine tropes, ‘men behaving badly,’ middle-aged men often depicted in the midst of violent, sexual or absurd acts. As is the case with the two in Cupid piss with goggles (2011), when Madani paints male figures they often seem obsessed with bodily fluids, reveling in almost ritualistic acts of excretion that appear at least as perverted as they are infantile. She adds dark humour to her subjects as a means to disarm and comment on the effects similar behavior has on wider contemporary society.
Across the history of painting the figure of Cupid is often depicted as a flying man-child, a male adult depicted at the size of a toddler, though sometimes also still sporting some chubby baby fat. Supposedly Cupid came to have this boyish depiction to indicate that love is irrational. It is precisely these gendered stereotypes that Madani seeks to address.
Her bald Cupid is flying sat in the meditative hero pose. The character is somewhat reminiscent of a bhikkhu (a Buddhist monk), but one that carries a cheeky, smug smile as he is producing a stream of mustard coloured urine. Whilst the man without protective eye gear is seemingly outraged by this, his older companion in goggles appears to be enjoying the experience. His broad smile conveys Madani’s comic style, which makes her often uncomfortable scenarios a more enjoyable viewing experience.