Viewer Discretion...When Art, Advent and Activism Collide
The search for meaning —big existential “wtf is it all about meaning” and also the hit the snooze on my alarm, see the cat barf on my bed and proceed to scroll through the Apple newsfeed “what is going on today meaning”. I vacillate between these two extremes daily.
I love art, art galleries and museums, art theory, art history, the history channel, documentaries about artists. (Confession: I have a secret longing to go back to school and study art and anthropology…don’t tell my husband.) I am so curious about the motivations that compelled the artist to create a particular piece, how they developed in their techniques and in their perspectives, how they view the work and the process of the work. I often imagine what the work meant to them at that very moment of creation and I want to know how did they know when the work was complete.
For me, art takes me to new thoughts and ideas about myself and the world I may not have considered before. Being in the presence of a creator’s work is a holy, intimate experience. I can hardly put into words the immense emotions it illicits.
I have been following the artist Titus Kaphar for a few years now (https://kapharstudio.com). His latest works often take a typical western image steeped in white privilege and he peels back the layers to reveal the black story behind the white facade. It is UPENDING because it is TRUE and it reveals the REST OF THE STORY. He has a brilliant TedTalk where he demonstrates this powerfully. Watch it here —> https://www.ted.com/talks/titus_kaphar_can_art_amend_history?language=en
Retrieved from https://news.artnet.com/art-world/titus-kaphar-erasure-art-history-1497391
There is always the rest of the story, isn’t there?
When I consider images of advent and Christmas they are all so sanitized and clean…and white, very very white. And I know I live in Canada and I am white but it’s time to peel back the facade of whiteness and immerse ourselves in the rest of the story. The brown, middle eastern immigrant story, the black and asian wisemen story, the war-mongering empire story and let our Christmas cards, and ornaments and what we watch on TV and read in our books inform and upend us in disruptive ways. (By the way, we are still reading books aren’t we? Come on people, shut off Alexa and read a book!).
Kelly Latimore is an Iconographer whose work has both delighted and devastated me. I have purchased a couple of his pieces this past year. His paintings from left to right are Refugees: La Sacrada Familia; Refugees: The Holy Family; Mary, Keep Watch; La Presentacion de Christo en el Templo.
However, I do not wish to approach Iconography as an art form that simply follows an inherited tradition, knowledge and practice. I want it to be a creative process, meditation, and practice that brings about new self knowledge for the viewer and myself. Who are the saints that are among us here and now?
I feel the need for new images. In some icons I wish to embrace the traditional forms and image but for many icons the image needs re-shaping, re-imagining, and re-wondering.
There are icons here that people may find theologically unsound and wrong, or for others, helpful and inspiring. I think both reactions are important. My hope is that these icons do what all art can potentially do, which is, to create more dialogue.
By transcending our biases, listening and having inner silence about our convictions, our inherited traditions, or our favorite ideas we can become open to the patterns of work, knowledge and experience we may not have seen in the other or buried in ourselves.
The other may have something to teach us about what we know, about who God is, the world we live in and who are our neighbors. This is the real work of being human and of art. Being more present. Images and text retreived from his website here —> https://kellylatimoreicons.com/about-2/
Peel back the layers of advent. Look for art that challenges you. Look for art period. Stop watching Hallmark movies (yes, I went there. I am trying not to be so judgy about this - work in progress). Support artists, share the work of creators, buy their work and immerse yourself in the rest of the story.
Finally, I want to tell you about two special humans who are disruptive creators working through their present pandemic lives with raw authenticity. They both deeply inspire me, and I am better for knowing them.
My friend Melissa is grieving the loss of a beloved daughter this advent and as a theologian and artist, she is bravely sharing her journey in her art. I am honoured to witness her process of pain and healing. She is a beautiful soul.
My friend Olive created #littleartsofkindness as a way to share love and appreciation to front-line workers during this pandemic. Her little acrylic canvases have sparked a movement among other artists to go and do likewise. She is a generous creator. Read more about Olive here —> https://www.tricitynews.com/local-arts/littleartsofkindness-is-an-art-hug-movement-port-coquitlam-painter-3145082
Over to you friends. Show me your art if you feel so inclined. Tell me about the art that inspires and frustrates you. How is art changing your lens or shaping you, in the past or presently? Create! Create! Create!
Keep showing up,
Love & light, B XO
