"Half a hundred Shrines, ready for Holiday delivery"

Comment

Comment by Resident Curator on January 15, 2023 at 11:17am

Curator’s Comments:

This photograph appeared randomly on the site, and while the title Half a Hundred Shrines, ready for Holiday delivery clearly identifies the small assemblage pieces as separate works of art, I can’t help appreciating the collection as a larger art installation.  The idea of devotional pieces en masse strikes a chord with the viewer, both in terms of subverting personal and individual worship, as well as recognizing a larger religious and ceremonial practice.  The placement of the individual shrines appears encoded with intentional color relationships- small groupings of one color emerge, to be repeated later within the picture place.  Textural richness abounds, as the broader design of the gathering overtakes small details. Overall, the patterned rug on which the shrines lay peeks through, asserting more of the everyday into the sacred. As this photograph was taken back in 2012, the viewer assumes these personal reliquary objects have found their way into hands of separate individuals. The notation also suggests they were dispersed soon after this brief installation, and image of collective worship. I hope that your shrine and alter making art practice has continued, and I would love to see your new works on the site.