The work of artist Aubrey Williams displays a range of visual influences and cultural perspectives; from classical music and pre-Columbian iconography, to science fiction and ecology. Williams also drew inspiration from the stories and symbols of the indigenous peoples of Guyana although his artistic practice defies simple classification as either ‘Caribbean’ or ‘British’.

‘Sacrifice’, a gouache on paper, is typical of Williams’ work in its energy and colour. Painted in 1987, it follows a body of work entitled the Olmec-Maya series which sought to uncover the elemental forces lying behind pre-Columbian iconography. The title of this work may allude to Mayan practices of human sacrifice. Williams admired the technological achievements of the Maya but read the premature collapse of Mayan civilisation as a warning to contemporary society about its dependence on technology. He saw his work as a ‘synthesis of ... two things, a modern consciousness that incorporates our Maya past and also considers our human future.’ (Third Text, 1987)