Main Street Studio, April 17, 2016
"Via Dolorosa" is a street within Old Jerusalem believed to be the route walked by Jesus on the way to crucifixion. The stations of the cross mark the journey, and to many Christians this is an intensely moving, spiritually profound symbolic visual journey. As a secular person, I find (like so much in the various holy books) the metaphor of this "painful way" to be very touching and relevant, even taken out of its literal/historical context. The 14 stations, which in many ways mirror the hero's journey (which Joseph Campbell discussed in his writings and interviews), represent a transformative movement from the everyday realm into the transcendent realm. The miraculous resurrection, with all do respect to my believer friends, is not the part of the narrative that I find interesting. So I end with station 14, entombment.
In delving into a passionate and admittedly sensitive topic, I wanted to do so with respect but also with artistic authenticity. I'm taking liberty with some of the stations' names, and reinterpreting the overall journey through a secular lens. Good stories endure. They are subject to new insights and updated tellings as they age, and it is my belief that such practices do not diminish or dilute or deride the original narratives; on the contrary, they may breathe new life into them.
Working on this show is itself a transformative experience. I've found myself very moved at times working on the paintings. As my first solo exhibition in NYC and as a cohesive body of work, I am, quite expectedly, growing as an artist as I make the work. I may have started from a very determined, clear space of intent, but as I go on I feel less as though I'm creating and more as if I'm discovering.
The work is taking quantum leaps along the way. Originally, I wanted to start chronologically and name the paintings as I progressed, but I've realized this is not to be. I will have to produce all 14 paintings before I decide which is which and in what order.
Giving voice to things is a way of self-liberation. Giving voice to this body of work is exercising many demons and long-held pain, and maybe that shows in the paintings and maybe it doesn't. In the end, I hope I can produce a significant body of work that touches people and sparks dialogue.
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