Ruby Döern

The Wild Hunt

A work in Hör zu, ich erzähle dir was / “Listen, I’ll tell you something.” a series of oil paintings depicting a variety of animals specific to stories from the artists’ ancestry across Central Europe.

“The Wild Hunt, is a tale from the town where my O Oma was born in Kaplice, Czech Republic. A reference to a common story in Kaplice, well known for their Krampus show, which is a tradition featuring people dressing up as goat-like figures and parading through town in early December. Krampus is a common figure in Austrian, Czech, and Slovenian folklore, portrayed as a large fur covered creature with twisting horns and hoofed feet, often carrying bells. Before Christmas was a practiced holiday, Krampus appeared around December to punish children and uphold traditions. Krampus is now seen as an opposing and demonised figure to St. Nicolas and villainized by the Christian church. By painting this piece, I am representing the original story, not the dumbed down Western version, and displaying these folklore figures as the animals they were based on. Four horned sheep, or Jacob sheep, can be found commonly in the Czech Republic and are often the trope of demonic imagery as the four horns are associated with the Christian devil. The other two sheep are commonly found in and around this land: the Waldschaf ram and a European Mouflon Ram.”