Vader and Scorpio: Fighting Their Way to Friendship, 2023
Single channel animation, 5:00
Production support by Studio A
Motion graphics & post-production by Christopher Haysom
Music by Palash Sunvaiya
"I am a Scorpio. It is my star sign.
It makes me strong and it means I can
protect people I care about. I like
Darth Vader from Star Wars. He is
scary but not too scary. Scorpio and
Darth Vader meet in the galaxy. Darth
Vader enters my galaxy, he enters my
star sign. We both become Scorpio.”
Working primarily in etching, drawing and gouache, Mathew Calandra draws inspiration from everyday life, ancient fables and horror films. An avid fan of Star Wars and astrology, Calandra was commissioned to create a new digital artwork for Cosmic Beings, expanding his drawing practice into the digital realm across Cement Fondu’s website cementfondu.org and social channels @cementfondu.
Vader and Scorpio features Calandra’s signature drawing style - sensitive yet bold and angular - which emerges from the night sky as if tracing constellations in the cosmos. A combination of visual storytelling and text, the work reveals how Calandra’s star sign ‘Scorpio’ befriends Star Wars villain Darth Vader. Literally and metaphorically, Calandra draws out our capacity for connection with other beings, highlighting that despite our differences we are all born of the stars and belong to the same universe.
Mathew Calandra has exhibited nationally and internationally, including in Galerie Atelier Herenplaats, Rotterdam and Art Gallery of New South Wales. In 2021, his triptych, Stations of the Cross, was selected for the Sulman Prize. His work is held in the collections of Artbank and Art Gallery of New South Wales.
