MERMAIDS AND MAGIC SHOWS

Gliding, golden, half-fish, half-woman, hair streaming behind her: from ancient folk tales to Hans Christian Andersen's beloved The Little Mermaid to films like Splash!, these fantasy creatures entice children and adults alike. In artist David Delamare's (ilustrator) richly imaginative paintings, they appear beautiful as never before, captured in a dreamy, wonderful sea world. Mermaid embryos lie curled inside bubble-like eggs, floating in the foamy water; another, with swirly tattoos covering her back, sits on a rock, gazing at herself pensively in the mirror; a third sits astride a dragon, her head thrown back in an expression of ecstasy. Also here: the deadly sirens, the "downside" of mermaids who lure men to their death with their irresistible song, plus Delamare's magical gallery paintings and book illustrations.