What comes to mind when you think of fairies? Most might think of a beautiful human-like miniature figure with wings of a butterfly. Fairies are not always in this image, they actually have many shapes and sizes. They also carry different meanings. Fairies have been around for ages, appearing in many stories myths and legends, originating mainly from European folklore. Fairies are often associated with plants and springtime, depicted as pure figures who possess magical powers. In the tales of fairies, they are more often than not mischievous creatures with dark and evil intentions. The Latin root word for fairy is ‘fay’ meaning fate. This could signify the purpose of fairies within myths, fairies in stories are constantly messing with the fates of humans. Fairies in these myths may be of the more cartoonish variety and signify simply love, magic and springtime, but most signify things like death, sexual depravity, abduction and general immorality. This exhibition looks at representation of fairies within art of many different mediums and time periods. The works selected are meant to show the images of fairies that go beyond popular connotations of fairies just as human-butterflies. As seen, the images of fairies depicted here gradually become darker and darker.
