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This section presents the work of artists who have used their various mediums of craft to express their personal struggles. When we view a piece of art that is personally transformative to the artist, we may feel transformation within ourselves. Although these topics are specific to each artist, the universality of the subject matter has the ability to make certain people feel like they are not experiencing life’s woes alone.
This section presents the work of artists who have used their various mediums of craft to express their personal struggles. When we view a piece of art that is personally transformative to the artist, we may feel transformation within ourselves. Although these topics are specific to each artist, the universality of the subject matter has the ability to make certain people feel like they are not experiencing life’s woes alone.
When and Where i Enter 2017
When and Where i Enter 2017
By: Angela Hennessy
Medium: Installations made from synthetic and natural hair
Location: Southern Exposure Gallery, San Francisco
Photo credit: Neyat Yohannes
In this exhibition, installations of woven, crocheted and braided human and synthetic hair paid homage to intricate Victorian-style crafts made for mourning rituals. Angela Hennessy's pieces are richly energized with evidence of race, femininity and sensuality, and explore claiming space as a black woman.
As Elena Gross states in her essay for the exhibition, “Approaching black equally as material, color, and concept, Hennessy weaves, braids, and constructs the complicated relationship between blackness, black bodies, and white space.” As my professor at CCA, Hennessy instilled in me the wisdom of sticking to my most honest intention when making work, addressing the true realities of life, and striving to heal through art making.
Funeral Procession for a Dead Lake 2011
Funeral Procession for a Dead Lake 2011
By: Ann-Katrin Spiess
Medium: Performance
Location: Winnemucca Lake, Nevada
Photo credit: Ann-Katrin Spiess
Spiess wanted to pay tribute to Winnemucca Lake by enacting a ceremony for the animal and plant species that are no longer living there due to desertification. This ritual incorporated Native American traditions as well as those of other cultures as this problem is common globally. A procession was led by a woman dressed in clothes for mourning followed by a group of other mourners who carried signs depicting the flora and fauna of the area. This piece came to an end by burning the signs as a symbolic gesture; proper funeral for this once thriving place. This piece was a very spiritually impactful event to occur on this land once filled with life; a celebration of life I know was this artist's purest intention. To mend the land that is now dry is to mend the soul and pay homage to something that was once alive, just like us.
Repair Project 2005
Repair Project 2005
By: Claudia Tennyson
Medium: broken plate, ribbon
Location: Headlands Center for the Arts
Photo credit: (One finished piece from the repair project) kitchensinkarchives.com
Tennyson is known as a “mender of broken and abandoned memories.” The artist asks people to drop off items they feel need to be “fixed” and she then transforms these broken objects, not necessarily sometimes back to their initial state, and some end up unrecognizable. Her definition of repair is unique as she questions “What it means to hang on to something seemingly useless and give it another life.” This specific way of mending is a way to preserve and transform a totem from a meaningful situation into something that can in turn be healing towards those emotions felt from that previous situation.
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