Violent bear it away : 12 artists respond to violence

Title

Violent bear it away : 12 artists respond to violence

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Description

Francis Tarwater awoke to find himself laying in the wake of unspeakable violence. When he arose, he found himself transformed—a prophet. His eyes, at last burned clean, began to see the world differently. This revelation brought a new calling and soon, a message that he must deliver to those still sleeping in the darkness. Much like Tarwater, Flannery O’Connor’s bourgeoning prophet from the novel The Violent Bear It Away, each of the artists in this exhibition have been struck by an awareness of violence, the scars of which are seen etched on bodies, inflicted upon the landscape, and cut into our memories. They now stand on the other side of their own awakening, unable to turn back, compelled to respond. The specific violence examined by each artist varies greatly: from the substantial physical cost of war to the abstract metaphysical violence of representation/ memory; and from the oppressive action of human institutions to the sublimely terrifying forces of nature.

Jeff Rau - curator; We also sincerely appreciate the work of graphic designer Kaylin Johnson who has helped to translate this project into its present book form so that its impact live on beyond the walls of the gallery.

Kabul Road - photography - Luc Delahaye;

Taliban - photography - Luc Delahaye;

Longing - sculptures - Sonny Assu;

untitled (Banda Aceh tsunami - photography - Ira Lippke;

Beautiful Terrible - film - Amanda Hamilton;

If Your Daughter Ever - drawing - Nery Gabriel Lemus;

Until the Day Breaks and the Shadows Flee - drawing - Nery Gabriel Lemus

untitled (DV Series #’s 1-9) - drawing - Nery Gabriel Lemus;

Backpack (Green) - soft sculpture - Margarita Cabrera;

Cleaning Supplies - soft sculpture - Margarita Cabrera;

Reconstructive Memory - drawing, video - Jes Schrom;

99 Names of God (AK-47 exploded view) - drawing - Sandow Birk & Elyse Pignolet;

99 Names of God (U.S.A.) - drawing - Sandow Birk & Elyse Pignolet;

Geometries II - media - Samira Yamin;

Geometries III - media - Samira Yamin;

Geometries VI - media - Samira Yamin;

Geometries V - media - Samira Yamin;

Does Not Play Well With Others - painting - André Goeritz;

It’s an Odd Fickle Cross - painting - André Goeritz;

Ignore the Smoke and Smile - painting - André Goeritz;

Wager - painting - André Goeritz;

True Light Dynamic Image: For healing & unity in the world of art - fiber print - Lia Chavez;

True Light Dynamic Image: For the future of performance art, 2:00 - 3:20am - fiber print - Lia Chavez;

True Light: HEAL US/ HEAL U.S - print - Lia Chavez;

Portraits of Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum - photography - Binh Danh;

Iridescence of Life - photography - Binh Danh;

Publication Date

2013

Keywords

Violence; peace; healing

Exhibit Type

Exhibit, thematic

Document Type

Exhibition Catalog

Disciplines

Art and Design | Interdisciplinary Arts and Media | Painting

Comments

The Biola University Art Department wishes to thank Barry Krammes, Jonathan Anderson, the planning committee for the 2013 Biola Art Symposium, and guest curator Jeff Rau for providing the inspiration and guiding vision behind this project. Further thanks to all the participating artists whose compelling work made this exhibition possible and generous enthusiasm for this topic propelled the project through many obstacles. We are especially grateful to artists Lia Chavez, Nery Gabriel Lemus, and Samira Yamin, and to faculty members Dan Callis and Dr. Judith Rood who blessed the Biola community with their participation in an exciting series of gallery discussions. We also wish to acknowledge the contributions of Dr. Doretha O'Quinn and the University Public Arts Committee whose collec-tive input helped to direct our gallery discussion series.

Copyright

the authors

Violent bear it away : 12 artists respond to violence

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