Dimensions: 48 x 63 cm (in light passe-partout)
Signed and dated p.d.: 'Ewa Pello 94'
Literature
At first glance, Ewa Pello's work depicts a bunch of happy children in some body of water. However, when we look more closely at the image, we see the horror of the situation. The children resemble zombies. Their penetrating gaze is fixed on the viewers of the work. The youngest of the children looks as if he is melting....
Although it is not known what the artist's intention was when she painted this work, the subject of "water children" is worth mentioning here.
The term originated in Japan. In the Land of the Blossoming Cherry, unborn babies are referred to by this name. They are revered with a special religious ritual. Because they have not had the opportunity to perform good deeds (and thus are unable to cross the mythological underground river). For the sake of their souls, stone Mizuko kuyō (水子供養) figurines are placed on the riverbank, which are often provided by Buddhist temples. Water babies, or Mizuko (水子) in Japanese, is a phenomenon specific only to Japan. It is a picturesque practice one can purchase a Jizu statue designed to help a child cross the Sanzu River. The statues are dressed in special ceremonial clothes (red capes and cloaks, which can be bought at the temple), and some people also put on statues with clothes bought for their unborn children....
