One Life Fine Art |
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Re:CreationMyth, as a living structure, fluctuates in response to the society which creates it. However, theweight of divine truth ties myth down, using it to justify 'the way things are, have been, and always will be,' stifling social evolution. This work treats creation myth as living story. Working in narrative series the Christian creation myth of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden is remade. The paintings ask, "How many other ways could this story have happened?" Without theweight of eternal truth, myth is free to shift with the needs of the audience. Deviations from the biblical record open up a space for discussion about what we as individuals need from our creation myths in an evolving society. |
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Re:VisionsAs an Atheist living in a the first decade of the new millennium I am interested in the persistent influence of mythic belief systems in contemporary life. Through the missionary mandate of Christianity the general public is subjected to the assumption of the good of faith for all. We cannot, it seems, agree to disagree. In the spirit, then, of conversion of the undecided, this work seeks to subvert divine belief through humour and observation. I am interested in taking apart the meta-narratives of the Christian faith and reframing them. Biblical icons and parables, images and stories intended to instruct the viewer in the dogma of Christianity are fair game. I ask how I might reinterpret the people and events of the Bible given the rules of the world I live in. The iconic image is redefined to ask questions of religion through a contemporary lens which denies the existence of miracles. |
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Haditha MemoriumThis work is an exploration of fiber and garment as a stand in for the body, and the social fabric, in situations of violent crisis. Specifically I am responding to social breakdown in Iraq in the wake of US invasion. Interested in the way that we as humans are able to remain unsympathetic to human crisis outside our own experience, I use garments of Western and a Middle Eastern derivation to both reference the geo-political situation and create associations between family life here and families in crisis there. An investigation of historic conflict in Iraq led my thoughts to the transition of the present into the past and the resilience of the survivor. I gave the work a sense of something that will one day be unearthed in an archeological dig. Repeated destruction informs the cultural history of Iraq. An archeological history is formed from debris of lives lived, destroyed and rebuilt, thus the act of repainting and layering. It has always been a necessity, if parents are to continue to provide for their children, to mend the broken structures within which they exist. I leave structure exposed as an analogy for the disruption of culture's ability to provide a veneer for structure during crisis. Thus structure and its influence on culture is exposed. Use of domestic linens is symbolic of domestic space and intimacy with the body in a state of vulnerability. The weave integrates the past and present, reweaving society. The nature of the finished piece is not separate from the materials the work is made from. Imperfections become complications that must be incorporated in the finished work. All is subject to submersion beneath time with the solidification of the weaving beneath layers of paint. |
