Psyche and Eve is a performance ritual art piece first performed in 2018 and later reinterpreted in 2024. The work explores myths of femininity, power, and self-perception through storytelling, physical action, and symbolic elements. The performance begins with the artist blindfolded, sorting white rice from black poppy seeds—. The performance introduces the themes of contrast, duality, and societal expectations of women.

The artist then recounts the myth of Psyche and Cupid, a foundational story that has shaped many well-known female-centric fairy tales, such as Cinderella, the Beauty and the Beast, the Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White. These stories often reinforce a division between young, innocent women and older, powerful women, portraying female power as dangerous and punishable. Inspired by this realization, the artist writes self-critical words on her body, externalizing the internalized judgment she has carried about what it means to be a woman. She then bites a red apple, as owning the sinful action of Eve, the curiosity and desire for knowledge. Power which usually is reserved for men is here claimed as her own. She then start cleansing herself and offer a sponge for the audience to cleanse her. The cleansing is a healing action, in her relationship with the public and with herself. Cleansing the darkness, yet it is almost impossible to clean her skin which is soaked in Chinese ink.

In the 2024 reinterpretation, the artist deepened the performance by incorporating a live snake, symbolizing sin, danger, and transformation. She wore the snake like a queen wearing a crown, embracing rather than rejecting the weight of inherited myths and societal narratives. The climax of this later performance involved her husband gently cleansing the Chinese ink from her body, contrasting his pale skin with the dark ink, evoking an image of Cupid bringing love and healing. The ritual culminated in the artist holding her child while wearing a veil and the snake, referencing religious iconography of the Virgin Mary and Thetis, the mother of Achilles. These figures represent both unconditional love and the tragic burden of knowing one’s child may face inevitable sacrifice, reflecting the artist’s personal fears amid the backdrop of contemporary global conflicts.

Ritual design by Sylvie Barbier
Photography by Vlad
Performance by Sylvie Barbier and Rufus Pollock
Make up Jill Bouma
Paris October 2023