Artwork copyright Robin Holder. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Anubis and the Soul V, 1989

Robin Holder
(American, born 1952)

Location: Washington State Arts Commission, Spanaway

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Anubis and the Soul V is a print by artist Robin Holder that explores multicultural symbolism to express "the quest for power with dignity, truth and harmony." Featuring a central figure that references the ancient Egyptian god Anubis, this artwork combines bold, layered colors, abstract forms, and silhouettes of ritualistic icons. It makes a visual statement about collective memory and self-identity.

Anubis is the ancient Egyptian god of mummification and the afterlife, as well as the patron god of lost souls and the helpless. He has the head of a jackel and the body of a man.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Bethel School District.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

New Jersey-based artist Robin Holder creates prints, paintings, and site-specific artworks. Her art expresses her experiences as a woman and her multicultural heritage. In her own words, "My work is motivated by my multi-cultural background in which layers upon layers of various racial, economic, cultural and spiritual worlds exist within one family... I am developing a visual language of archetypal symbols from Africa, Native North and South America, and Pharaonic Egypt. I use the spears, shields, vessels, masks, magical wands, birds, pyramids, and temples as symbols of rituals and tools used in the battle for wisdom, strength, tolerance, balance and spiritual growth."

About Holder's process: "I use combinations of photo­silkscreen, color viscosity collagraph, plexiglass, and linoleum. The images are created by cutting out stencils which form the shapes of the Warrior Women, animals, leaves, etc. The stencils are surface-rolled with inks and placed on sheets of inked or painted plexiglass. The plates are then printed on paper using a press... The approach I use is like a collage and my ideas continue to reveal themselves from print to print, like a story, because my stencil shapes are a language that I'm constantly expanding."