Sin and Redemption -- the painting that got it all started



Javier Manrique, Crown, 2008; photo courtesy the artist



Sin and Redemption

Exhibition dates: July 14 - August 23, 2012

Opening reception: Saturday, July 14, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

This exhibition of works by more than two dozen artists working in painting, sculpture, installation, and photography explores the transformational themes of sin and redemption.

Here Maria Medua of the Artists Gallery talks to Javier Manrique about his paintings for the show.

MM: Javier, it was really your painting, “Crown” that got me thinking about doing this show about sin and redemption.

JM: The Crown is a symbol of truth and transgression.  The artist as an outcast falls on the Christian notion that the more one is rejected, the more one is a vehicle and receptacle of truth.  He or she has mystically the right to transgress language, moral, and political codes.  Sin is relative for a transgressor and rejection and suffering are a medium.  In the sacrifice one is redeemed.

MM: And what about the piece “Buried Heart.” The rose is an ancient symbol in art, what is its significance to you?

JM: Buried Heart is a metaphor for those sentiments that are latent desires, the heart within the earth will sprout through the surface to become tangible.  Martyrdom makes it easy to see a phrase from a poem Song of the Nightingale by Richard Le Gallienne that reads,

“I know not your kiss from your scorn, my love,

          Your breast from your thorn, my rose,

And if you must kill me, well, kill me, my love!

But – say ‘t was the death I chose.”   

Fulfillment is achieved in living and dying the way one desires, which may be interpreted as morally wrong yet it is the only recourse for the romantic.  A sin would be not following the heart.

MM: So it would be a sin not to see this show!

Sin and Redemption

July 14 - August 23, 2012

Opening reception: Saturday, July 14, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

This exhibition of works by more than two dozen artists working in painting, sculpture, installation, and photography explores the transformational themes of sin and redemption.

Works range from contemplative installations, such as David Best’s destined-to-be-burned altar, to a wall-size tapestry depicting classical, pre-Christian geometry, and contemporary interpretations of religious expression, including an interactive confessional by Claire Pasquier and Mary Powers. The exhibition considers the vocabulary of spiritual symbols, rituals, and historical references, as well as the role of aesthetics in considering existence.

Best’s altar, made of recycled wood for the upcoming Burning Man Festival, is meant as a touchstone for reflection. Viewers are welcome to write notes or leave messages on the piece that express their deepest concerns: pain, loss, anger, or shame, for example. When the altar is burned, the messages will be transformed into smoke and ash, providing a sense of release. A large-scale tapestry by Donald and Era Farnsworth entitled Mythos 5 draws on Eastern spiritual traditions as well as the Western interest in geometry, harmony, and unity.

Also on view will be Radio With Sin Us, an installation with audio based on the sacrament of penance that also hints at secular sources for self-examination and reconciliation, such as daytime TV talk shows. Victor Cartagena’s Confesiones y Hostias will offer the viewer a communion host (used in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist) if they are willing to confess a sin into a microphone that is amplified by a speaker.

Artists in the exhibition include David Best, Victor Cartagena, Enrique Chagoya, Margaret Chavigny, Kirk Crippens, Donald and Era Farnsworth, Marc Ellen Hamel, Nancy Genn, Tara Gill, Ake Grunditz, Amber Hasselbring, Gérman Herrera, Jeremiah Jenkins, Larry Lippold, Alen MacWeeney, Javier Manrique, Kara Maria, John Martin, Jean Paul Mercado, Claire Pasquier, Christian Peacock, Silvia Poloto, Mary Powers, Lewis Watts, and Elena Zolotnitsky.

Image Captions (left to right top to bottom)

Victor Cartagena, Cristo al Rojo Vivo, 2012; photo: courtesy the artist

Kara Maria, Voluptuous Deconstruction, 2010; photo: courtesy the artist

Ake Grunditz, Columnaris Redempcioun, 2012; photo: courtesy the artist

David Best, Hayes Green project, 2005; photo: courtesy SF Arts Commission

Alen MacWeeney, Interior of the Studio of Andres Serrano, 2011; photo: courtesy the artist

Lewis Watts, The Clark Sisters in front of their Church, Lincolnville, St. Augustine FL, 1996; photo: courtesy the artist