|
|
Tough questions, no easy answers |
|
|---|
|
It has been not yet a week since a mass shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, located less than three miles from MOCRA. The violence resulted in three deaths and unmeasureable trauma for the students, teachers, and staff of the school, their families, and the community for a long time to come. Even at the periphery (I know two students who attend another high school on the same campus), I feel weighed down, asking questions that have been asked too many times in too many communities: How can this happen yet again? Why do we fail to respond in meaningful ways to stop this epidemic of violence?
Art cannot answer those questions. But surely a characteristic of religious and spiritual art for our time is that it can help us wrestle with the challenges before us: comforting (or discomforting) us, renewing our hope, inspiring us to act. MOCRA has demonstrated this with previous exhibitions such as
The Greater Good: An Artist's Contemporary View of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study in 2002, or more recently, the work of Erika Diettes in
Sudarios in 2017.
Jordan Eagles: VIRAL\VALUE, which opened this past week at MOCRA, is another exhibition that raises vital questions. Jordan's work will be familiar to many MOCRA visitors, whether from his 2013 solo exhibition
BLOOD/SPIRIT, or his works in the museum collection. I hope you will visit MOCRA to see these five recent works, shown together for the first time, as well as our concurrent exhibition of works from the MOCRA collection,
This Road Is the Heart Opening. The upcoming First Friday in Grand Center on November 4 might be a perfect opportunity.
May comfort and healing come to all those who mourn . . . and may change come swiftly so that children may attend school with anticipation, not anxiety.
Sincerely,
David Brinker
Director
|
|
|---|
|
The MOCRA newsletter uses the Benchmark platform. Please add
mocra@benchmark.slu.edu to your address book to ensure that future e-newsletters land in your Inbox. Remember, you'll find a link in every e-mail you receive from us allowing you to modify or end your subscription. |
|
Jordan Eagles: VIRAL\VALUE |
|
|---|
|
Installation view of
Jordan Eagles: VIRAL\VALUE (and a bit of
This Road Is the Heart Opening). |
|
|---|
|
|
On Nov. 15, 2017, a painting attributed to Leonardo da Vinci—
Salvator Mundi (Savior of the World)—was sold at auction at Christie’s New York for an astronomical hammer price of $450 million, making it the most expensive artwork in history. Five years later, the work continues to generate speculation. Experts still disagree whether it was painted by Leonardo. The work, rumored to have been bought by a proxy for Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has not been seen in public since the auction, but recent reports suggest Saudi Arabia is building an art gallery to house the painting.
Artist Jordan Eagles saw something in
Salvator Mundi beyond the controversy. Now, MOCRA presents
VIRAL\VALUE, an exhibition that brings together for the first time five works by Eagles that combine the
Salvator Mundi image with blood donated by an HIV+ undetectable, long-term survivor and activist. Exhibition co-curator Aaron Rosen notes, “The works in
VIRAL\VALUE are equal parts startling and subtle, steeped in scrupulous attention to religious and political discourses around health. They function as ethical and theological inquiries into the types of blood, bodies, and love that we value and venerate.”
VIRAL\VALUE highlights a number of challenging contradictions. As
Salvator Mundi demonstrates, the art world struggles with questions of malpractice and distorted values. Similar dynamics occur in the realm of healthcare. Stories can be contagious and transmissible, from the shared myths and histories that bind communities to intentionally harmful misinformation that demonizes vulnerable populations. In the case of pandemics such as AIDS and COVID-19, the virality of misinformation exposes our social and moral frailties even as viruses expose our bodies’ vulnerabilities. Sophisticated COVID-19 vaccines were developed in record time, but many people refuse to receive them. The latest HIV treatments keep viral loads undetectable, making the disease untransmissible, but U.S. blood donation policies exclude gay and bisexual men categorically, rather than according to behavioral risk factors.
Eagles’ work prompts us to listen broadly and attentively to the experiences of others, reflect deeply on our personal and collective values, and work against discrimination.
Jordan Eagles: VIRAL\VALUE continues through Dec. 18, 2022. The exhibition is co-curated by MOCRA Director David Brinker and Aaron Rosen, Ph.D., Professor of Religion & Visual Culture and Director of the Henry Luce III Center for the Arts & Religion at Wesley Theological Seminary.
|
|
|---|
|
This Road Is the Heart Opening |
|
|---|
|
Bernard Maisner,
Yes (detail), 1989. MOCRA collection. |
|
|---|
|
|
In addition to
Jordan Eagles: VIRAL\VALUE, the remainder of the work now on display is drawn from the MOCRA collection. The title
This Road Is the Heart Opening, is drawn from a poem by 16th-century Hindu mystic poet Mirabai, translated by Robert Bly. The metaphor of life as a journey is an ancient one. Amid so much that afflicts and overwhelms us, it is tempting to step away from the path of life and wall ourselves off for self-protection.
These artworks suggest the value of journeying on, open to others and to the world, and to our deepest selves. Some works join text and image, suggest dreamlike landscapes, and encourage us to take time to savor. Other works acknowledge the reality of suffering, confront distorted and unjust systems, and call us to action.
Artists with work in
This Road Is the Heart Opening include:
|
|
|---|
|
- Craig Antrim
- Salma Arastu
- Romare Bearden
- Dawoud Bey
- Frederick J. Brown
- Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons
- Jon Cournoyer
- Michael David
- Sue Eisler
- Nancy Fried
- Donald Grant
- Steven Heilmer
- DoDo Jin Ming
- Andy Julo
- Tobi Kahn
- Adrian Kellard
- Dean Kessmann
|
|
|
- Tom Kiefer
- Frank LaPena
- Horatio Law
- Gary Logan
- Bernard Maisner
- Anne Minich
- Jim Morphesis
- Lorna Purvis
- David Quinn
- Vicki Reid
- James Rosen
- Christopher Schulte
- Susan Schwalb
- Thomas Skomski
- Kazuaki Tanahashi
- Michael Tracy
|
|
|---|
|
These works may by turns unsettle and comfort, challenge and inspire. We invite you to discover the ones that speak to you at this moment in your journey.
This Road Is the Heart Opening is on display through December 18.
Learn more about
This Road Is the Heart Opening.
|
|
|---|
|
November 4 is the next First Friday |
|
|---|
|
On the first Friday of every month, the museums and galleries in the Grand Center Arts District are free and open until 9 p.m. Discover the remarkable array of visual arts in St. Louis’s premier neighborhood for arts and culture while enjoying cocktails, conversation, and entertainment. Stick around for after party events, dinner or a show!
Start your evening with a visit to
VIRAL\VALUE at MOCRA, then head out to explore the district. Visit the First Fridays website for links to all of the venues and current exhibitions.
|
|
|
|
|
It’s not to late to catch Lesley Dill |
|
|---|
|
MOCRA's highly praised exhibition of recent work by Lesley Dill,
Dream World of the Forest, closed on October 16. However, you can still watch a Zoom-based presentation featuring Dill, poet Tom Sleigh, and Rene Paul Barilleaux, head of curatorial affairs at the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio. MOCRA Director David Brinker guided the conversation.
The program is available on the MOCRA Voices Vimeo channel. Click the image below to watch.
|
|
|---|
|
|
If you have found yourself intrigued and inspired by MOCRA’s collection, exhibitions, and programs, please consider a gift of financial support. Your contribution of any amount will be welcomed and put to good use.
It's easy to make a secure donation online. We welcome checks, too—visit MOCRA’s website and scroll down to the “Support MOCRA” section for more details. |
|
We invite you to share this newsletter on social media. |
|
|---|
|
|
|
| |
|  |
|
|
|
|
