January 22 - March 4, 2009
ART+TEXT:
IMAGES, CONCEPTS, AND INSIGHTS
an exhibition for CIVA (Christians in the Visual Arts)
A reception for the artists will be held on January 29, 2009, 5:30 - 7:30pm
About the Show
ART + TEXT was conceived and curated by Teresia Bush, Associate Professor of Art History at Howard University, on behalf of CIVA (Christians in the Visual Arts). Prior to her faculty appointment at Howard, Bush held a number of positions with the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum for over 25 years. In this exhibition, she brings her depth of experience and knowledge of contemporary art to bear on the connections between art, text, and faith.
The works in this show range from the deceptive simple "Eraser Prints" series by Wayne Roosa to the technologically complex "Hermeneutics of St John" interactive video by John Reid Perkins-Buzo. Each of the works incorporates text directly, responds to an existing text, or evokes the notion of text in some way. As is true with virtually all contemporary art, the works in this exhibition are ambiguous and multi-valent, inviting viewers to bring their own experiences and ideas to bear as they look for meanings.
The videos in the show are particularly challenging, as they both invoke and undermine pervasive, culturally-conditioned expectations about cinema and narrative. In viewing them, it is necessary to suspend these expectations, treating them, instead, as unique artistic productions. Unlike the entertainment media that they superficially resemble, each of these works has its own inner logic and idiosyncratic relationships to the wider world of contemporary art, scripture, and culture.
Teresia Bush has written the curator's essay on this exhibition, which is given in its entirety below. Both she and I hope that ART + TEXT will stretch your imagination, hone your vision, and deepen your contemplation.
Deborah Sokolove
Director, Henry Luce III Center for the Arts and Religion
Curator's Essay
Art+ Text: Concepts, Images, and Insights brings together sixteen North American artists who employ conceptual language to address concerns of Christian spirituality. Each makes use of the practices and tenets of conceptual philosophy (the dominance of idea over image) and considers a variety of sacrosanct elements associated with private devotions, the often unsettling and complex inner reasoning of personal convictions, and the socio-religious practices of shared community beliefs. Consequently, insight into the messages framing meaning in each work is a key component of the exhibition and is determined anew every time a viewer connects with a work.
The aforementioned themes are relevant issues in our contemporary society, yet exhibitions that focus on Christian subject matter are hardly ever displayed in mainstream institutions where they may be subject to broader criticism by Christian and non-Christian audiences alike. Moreover, further marginalization arises when these exhibitions are organized at institutions which, by a deed of omission, relegate the interpretative description to apologetics or theological dogma that very few viewers relate to or understand.
Art+Text offers the individual viewer, regardless of one's point of view or persuasion, an opportunity to interact with the work on a personal level. Thus the relationship between the artist and audience becomes a compelling association. Together, they work out a method of communication where familiar, sometimes powerful images often accompanied by written or implied text, is not only the conveyer of meaning for the viewer but also further substantiates the metaphorical or communicative qualities of the artwork. Thus, text is not used here as a medium of description or a signifier but a building block instead.
Many contemporary artists employ conceptual elements, which were first heralded in the 1970s by artists such as Joseph Kosuth, Lawrence Weiner, and John Baldessarri to express strong viewpoints on the past and the world in which they live-a world no longer restricted by national or artistic boundaries. Regardless of national origin, artists have found common ground to share concerns about the environment, war, feminist politics, social and economic conditions, as well as cultural and ethnic identity. For example, renowned African- American artists David Hammons, Adrian Piper, Glenn Ligon, and Lorna Simpson take advantage of conceptual techniques to question art production and its commodification, while focusing on issues of race, sexuality, identity, and representation.
In Art+Text, images segue into thoughts and practices germane to Christianity. While many of the works in this exhibition purport individual beliefs and practices, none of the works appear to sermonize. In fact while some are humorous or mildly cynical, others are more about secular topics, referring to historical or social issues.
Books that embody components of meditation, devotion, and introspection are the subjects of several artists in the exhibition including Sandra Bowden whose Book of Nails II, 2009, although small in size, speaks volumes about the Bible as a book with a redemptive plan. Ubiquitous subtexts run throughout the work of Ali Wunder and Janine Haard. Wunder's "Quotidian Bibles" are based on the ancient and enigmatic temples that she saw while living in Southeast Asia. Wunder's "Bibles" suggest deterioration caused by regular use and seem to have doors that encourage the viewer to enter the mysterious books to search out the hidden within. Haard makes a similarly metaphoric use of image in Archive of 2006, which is composed of slip cast books and human hair. She discusses her aspirations for this work, "I hope to craft poetic metaphors that speak to the existence of that which resonates just below the surface...notions of containment, longing, and desire are alluded to within the work as everyday objects act as [a] metaphor [for] human presence."
John Reid Perkins-Buzo is interested in media as a repository in which public and private space collides in myriad ways. Viewers are encouraged to respond to the participatory nature of his interactive video The Hermeneutics of St. John, 2008. In this work, Perkins-Buzo refers to a grammatical/historical method by which the language of parables, allegories, and tropes are used to interpret the Bible. Sandra Jean Ceas and Karen Swenholt manipulate text to augment form. Ceas's classic typewriter, without explanation, has produced an unsettling message for us to ponder. Swenholt's Counselor, 2005, with a menacing root attached to a woman's head, sits atop a file cabinet filled with literary components; the work is direct in its dissertation on the consequences of bitterness. "Meditations on a Sudoku Puzzle" could describe Guy Chase's adaptation of the popular game that encourages participants to reflect deeply and exercise logic. Chase goes further and neatly makes multilayered commentary and evocative drawings in the corners and on the sides of his puzzles- adding another component for us to ponder.
Upon closer inspection, we can discern that some artists are concerned with personal failings in regards to faith. Andrew Barchus admits that he has some reservations about the consistency of biblical text and how it holds up through years of various translations. In his mixed-media work The Word Became Text, 2008, Barchus questions the consistency of the interpretation of a specific passage, the Gospel of John 1:14. "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us" is a translation of a verse which generally refers to the life and ministry of Christ.
The performative works of Amy Day take a witty approach to convention. In Apples, 2005, a DVD Day, the nude dancer, dips herself into a red liquid and then a vat of flour. This ritual-like act reminds us of the biblical Eve; but this can't be "Eve." Day's character seems to make the most of a bad situation-about to be driven out of the Garden of Eden-perhaps she makes apple pie. Video artist Wayne Adams also uses humor to analyze a New Testament passage. He refers to the warrior/believer in the sixth chapter of Ephesians who is instructed to "Put on the whole armor of God" to take a stand against adversity. Adams's clumsy warrior, attired with ill-fitting armor, endeavors to merge the spiritual directive with the challenges of the natural world.
Socio-religious practices of shared community beliefs are echoed in the works of several artists, including Mark Venema and Zack Bent who examine the essence of day-to-day family experiences. Venema's work consists of written text and photographed pages of mundane objects, which he and his young daughters regularly collect from their neighborhood. These works articulate a kind of communal characteristic defined by the simplicity of daily life. Like Venema, Bent ascribes to a classic conceptual practice as he documents a specific act or event. In Bent's Best Forward, a DVD of 2006, we see a father lovingly teaching values to his young son. In this staging of carefully placed image and text, Bent renders the ordinary extraordinary. Similarly, Jerry Holsopple has combined text and image to concentrate on what some would see as simple or unassuming occurrences. A photographer, Holsopple focused on the honesty and deeply spiritual qualities he saw reflected in the faces of children and the poor that he encountered while working at a school in New York City.
Recalling the practices of On Kawara, the pioneering Japanese conceptual artist, Gene Schmidt (Cubes, 2008) is fascinated by measure and restriction. Schmidt explains, "Like most of my ‘measurements,' this piece is a meditation on limits. Each cube has someone's name on it, a found text on an old yardstick. In this way the cubes function as little monuments." Schmidt's largest work to date is Manhattan Measure, 2007-08. Inspired by Hebrew text, as well as recalling the early works of British artist Richard Long who is known for his documented walks in England's countryside and elsewhere, Schmidt measured the 13.4 miles long by 2.30 miles wide New York boroughwith 30,000 red yardsticks. (See more at manhattanmeasure.com)
Commentary on community and social issues is evident in the works of Wayne Roosa and Rico Gatson. Roosa's "Eraser Prints" of 2007 are stand-ins or omens of present and future events-the collective fears of a group of people, accidents about to happen, stock market fluctuations, advertising and media dominance-which, when combined in compositions, present tongue-in-cheek references to "everyman" who faces the impermanency of valuables and other overwhelming circumstances of life in the twenty-first century. The initially pleasant imagery in Rico Gatson's Fire Painting #3, 2006, upon closer inspection sets up a confrontation with messages about deplorable and indefensible acts. Referring to images from the media and history books, Gatson exposes occurrences that cast a shadow on the history of the United States. He alludes to the numerous cases of African-American churches torched by the Klu Klux Klan and other similar groups that have operated hypocritically in the name of Christianity. Fire Painting #3 relies heavily on the brushstrokes of the digitally manipulated flames that ominously and fiercely erupt above the striking and exotic Kente or African cloth.
The referential qualities of everyday objects, when employed as conveyers of messages, have been the subject of artists for several decades. Conceptual art and its progeny informs a range of possibilities for viewers-with meaning in part based on the artists' intentions as well as those of the experiences of the viewer.
Effective communication of specific concepts in Art+Text is rendered often in iconic, unambiguous, and quotidian symbols, such as books and photographed pages of common domestic objects. It is important to keep in mind that biblical references may or may not be obvious or even present, but viewers may look for clues to determine if they exist and if they do, feel free to decipher what they mean.
Finally, this exhibition brings to the forefront the single idea that there are human values common to all regardless of beliefs or affiliations. Moreover, Christian-based art represents a perspective that is seldom seen, at least in major art establishments. At a time when most messages, whether we agree or disagree with them, are accepted as a part of a larger, global dialogue in art, Christian-based art warrants consideration. Thus, the hoped for outcome of this exhibition is not just an "aha" moment, rather it is one that helps to foster the notion that art should represent many different viewpoints. Good art should always be a part of that conversation.
Teresia Bush
