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Lot Essay
see: M Snelling, Tracey Moffatt, Brisbane, 1999, p. 22 and Tracey Moffatt-Laudanum, Germany, 1999, p. 54 for other examples of this image
Moffatt's 1998 series, laudanum, comprises nineteen hand-tinted photogravures that draw on both literary and cinematic precedents to explore themes of voyeurism, hysteria, power, and the politics of violence and desire. Set in the gothic atmosphere of an Australian mansion, laudanum unfolds the sexual and sinister imaginary tale of the mistress of the house and her young servant girl. The title of the series is derived from an opiate that was commonly used to calm the nerves in the late nineteenth century.
Moffatt's 1998 series, laudanum, comprises nineteen hand-tinted photogravures that draw on both literary and cinematic precedents to explore themes of voyeurism, hysteria, power, and the politics of violence and desire. Set in the gothic atmosphere of an Australian mansion, laudanum unfolds the sexual and sinister imaginary tale of the mistress of the house and her young servant girl. The title of the series is derived from an opiate that was commonly used to calm the nerves in the late nineteenth century.