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"This exhibition aims to inspire, raise controversies,
raise consciousness, and influence
political change."
--
Claudia Flynn and Troy West, Curators
Hera Educational Foundation and Gallery presents WAGING
PEACE, an
international exhibition of contemporary art from October 7 through
November 11, 2006. An opening reception will be held from 6 - 8pm,
Saturday, October 7. With works selected by curators Claudia Flynn
and Troy West, showcasing work from 26 established and emerging artists
living in the USA, and as far reaching as India, Honduras, Italy
and Indonesia.
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Waging Peace, the third in a series of politically
charged exhibitions at Hera Gallery co-curated by Rhode Island-based
artists Claudia Flynn and Troy West, emerges on the scene with poignant
timing. The
diversity of work from the 26 artists selected for this exhibition
illustrates the
breadth of tumultuous current events and issues the politically concerned artist
has to speak
on. Some works approach the issue of peace by demand-
ing that the viewer recognize
the disharmony in the outside world, in our communities and within our own minds,
while others muster hope, planting the creative seeds of optimism. With
the rising of each artist's personal voice, Waging Peace creates a collective
call to action.
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Above image by
Murali Cheeroth
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An aggressive stance on a particular issue relating to peace and
its counterpart - war, is the traveling installation sponsored by
the American Friends Service Committee, which will be on view at the
gallery for one day on Oct 24, United Nations Day.
This installation "Dreams and
Nightmares," documents the daily suffering of the average
Iraqi citizen. Larger
than life black and white photographs printed on vinyl, loom
above eye level, forcing the viewer to gaze up to
a series of graphic
and emotional images of human suffering. On one panel a young
girls stares through hot tears, enveloped in dust filled air
as a backdrop of destroyed homes, and buildings sifts to the surface.
This work presents the real faces of war, fleshing out the dry
news reports and daily
assessments of the ongoing battle in Iraq. With strength and
volume this
work questions, "Is this something we support?"
Other works, like that of noted NYC photographer Donald
Greenhaus,
assume equally aggressive interpretations of waging peace. Taken
from a
1974 series entitled Anybody, Greenhaus photographed the process
of
autopsy and embalming. "Price Tag," the toned
gelatin silver
print
image
confronts the viewer with a gruesome image of a toe tag attached
to the
wrinkled foot of an anonymous dead person. Though this photograph
was
taken three decades ago, the image re-emerges with a contemporary
message. In his artist statement he quotes the statistics of US military
fatalities in Iraq, juxtaposed with the far greater number of Iraqis
killed. Greenhaus writes, "These numbers are the only things
that grow
everyday."
Hera Gallery member and Peace Corps volunteer John
Kotula presents
an alternative approach to political and artistic thinking. His
current work in Honduras centers on community-strengthening art projects,
like
murals promoting AIDS awareness. For Waging Peace, photographs of
his
current collaborative projects have been assembled into hand held
books,
allowing the viewer an intimate interaction with a larger project.
His
simple articulate paintings offer small solutions to the larger issues
and problems facing today's world. In his statement
he writes, "The
parameters I set for myself for the exhibition were that I would
make
something that was about peace and not anti anything and that it
would
be open to and encouraging
of dialogue." From an aware, pro-active
sideline, Kotula offers optimism and encouragement through his
use of
bright colors, simple forms and images of growth.
Another voice brimming with quiet optimism, is that of sculptor Russell
Smith, creator of "Seventy Times Seven" a mixed media
assemblage, produced as a symbolic offering of peace. Smith, inspired
by the biblical text Matthew 18:21-22, where Jesus speaks on the
issue of forgiveness, reinterprets the lesson with a contemporary
interpretation. As Jesus says that Peter must forgive one who sins against
him, not seven times, but seventy times seven, Smith immerses four hundred
and ninety bullets in salt water as an act of neutralizing their
destructive
power. He writes, "Forgiveness is the essential condition for making
the
spiritual journey towards authentic and lasting peace."
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Multi-media artist Vivek Vilasini makes
another connection between peace, war and religion, working from
Bangalore, India. Evoking the symbol of Jesus Christ and the Passion,
Vilasini creates the shape of the cross with an arrangement of photo-
graphs
of soldiers killed
in Iraq. Each photograph has been printed on perforated vinyl, mounted
to a hologram, giving these images a reflective, shimmering quality. Through
the use of these attractive materials commonly used to create visual illusions
in advertising and children's games, Vilasini's "Celestial Garment" transcends
the initial interpretation of "memorial," asking the viewer
to question the relationship of illusion and war, and the ultimate sacrifice
of human life.
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Above: "Celestial Garmet"
Print on perforated vinyl/hologram
Vivek Vilasini
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From sculptures, paintings, photographs, to installations and artist's
books, the artists of Waging Peace tackle the tough questions facing today's
world with a creative determination.
Cultivating unique and powerful voices,
co-curators Claudia Flynn and Troy West write, "This exhibition attempts
to open up dialogue to rethink the socio-political issues of our day. In
the cause of peace, we believe a whole range of perspectives and alternative
visions is acceptable: political, philosophical, economic and aesthetic
-- from the plangent to the sharply critical."
Left:
Poster Image, Claudia Flynn © 2006
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This program has been partially
funded
by
The Rhode Island
State Council on the Arts,
the Hera Educational
Foundation,
and
The Friends of Hera.
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The Rhode Island State Council
on the Arts is
celebrating
its 40th Anniversary.
Learn
more at www.arts.ri.gov.
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