Women in bondage

Detail from Weeping Sakura (right) from Tracy Payne's exhibition Post Tokyo. The exhibition is on at the Irma Stern Museum from May 4 to 22.

Post Tokyo, an exhibition of paintings by Tracy Payne opens at UCT's Irma Stern Museum tomorrow (May 4 to 22).

In April 2002, Payne travelled to Tokyo in search of "Sakura", the cherry blossom.

She also found inspiration in "Kinbaku", the erotic art of rope bondage. Moving away from the pornographic nature of the images she uses them in a more classical sense, as the nude bound, to symbolise what in Buddhist language is known as samsara: conditioned existence, that is, living a life of superficial habits and compulsions.

She has chosen to portray women in bondage since she believes it to be a potent metaphor for the negative, addictive patterns so many of us fall prey to.

Payne believes that since we have become so removed from nature we seem to have forgotten the cyclical nature of life, death and rebirth.

"The cherry blossoms are a reminder of this. They offer hope, freedom from bondage, they mark the beginning of spring and the oncoming of summer and fruitfulness."

A walkabout of the exhibition will take place on Saturday May 15 at 11h00.