News Release

Note: Click here for a list of activities related to the exhibition: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/aug04/acklandevents080404.html 

See end of story for image URLs.

By MARIA GLOEGGLER
Ackland Art Museum

CHAPEL HILL – Works by five contemporary artists, each of whom interprets the philosophies and art traditions of one of the world’s major faiths, will be displayed Aug. 15 through Jan. 16 at the Ackland Art Museum.

The Ackland, an academic unit of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will share 23 works of varying media in "Five Artists · Five Faiths: Spirituality in Contemporary Art." A free public opening reception on Sept. 26, from 2-5 p.m. at the museum, will be followed by a talk by one of the artists, from 4-5 p.m.

The artists, their native countries and the faiths they interpret in their work are Stephen Antonakos, from Greece, Christianity; Helène Aylon, from the United States, Judaism; Kimsooja, from South Korea, Buddhism; Ahmed Moustafa, from Egypt, Islam; and Pamela Singh of India, Hinduism. Moustafa and Singh have never before shown their work in an American museum.

"The contemporary artists in ‘Five Artists · Five Faiths’ draw on the ideas, iconography and styles of traditional sacred art as a means of communicating their personal explorations of spirituality," said Carolyn Wood, assistant director for art and education at the Ackland. "Cumulatively, the works in the exhibition probe the place and value of spirituality in early 21st-century art."

The exhibition grew out of the Ackland’s Five Faiths Project, which started in 1996. The project uses works of art to promote conversation and learning about diverse faith traditions and cultural practices.

The exhibition will include an installation featuring three neon reliefs that Antonakos created for "Five Artists · Five Faiths." He designed the piece as a place visitors may enter, like a chapel -- conceived as a pure, white space defined by the glow of colored neon light.

"The ‘Meditation Chapel of Saints Peter and Paul’ is a space for people to sit and be by themselves," he said. "It invites you to be peaceful. For me, personally, it is sacred."

Although each work in the exhibition is different, parallels in their references to light, geometry and meditation suggest points of connection among the artists, the faiths and their art, said Dr. Barbara Matilsky, the Ackland’s curator of exhibitions. She chose the five artists from among many who work with spiritual themes.

"Their works represent the international character of contemporary art and the rapid diffusion of the faith traditions in recent decades," Matilsky said.

Aylon presents a modern analysis of Judaism in her work "The Liberation of G-d,"* which represents her critical reading of the Torah. Aylon placed a sheet of vellum over each page and highlighted between words where a female presence is omitted, and over words that describe militarism or cruelty to animals.

"As much as I didn’t want to face this, I realized that there really is a great deal of militarism in the Old Testament," she said. "Is this G-d the G-d of war?* Or is this man’s projection?"

Several of the artists describe their process of creating art as a form of meditation. As for earlier artists working within the faith traditions, art making becomes a spiritual practice.

For example, in her video "A Laundry Woman," Kimsooja invites the viewer to share the artist’s meditations along the Yamuna River in India. "Putting oneself in quietness and meditative space leads to a certain awareness, perception or awakening," Kimsooja said. "We don’t have that many opportunities to do it in our daily life."

Moustafa’s art on paper builds upon a long tradition in Islamic art, of curvilinear and geometric calligraphy that creates complex overlays of script. He uses contemporary techniques to layer different media.

"Arabic script thereby becomes a visual form capable of transcribing the divine message revealed by God, who, as the Qur’an states, ‘created everything in due measure and proportions,’ " Moustafa said.

Singh’s painted photographs are influenced by complex rituals and geometric symbols associated with Tantric Hinduism. By incorporating these symbols in her work, Singh creates images that also are intended to prompt introspection and meditation.

"Even though we live in the moment, it is possible to have a picture of the future through meditation and by perceiving the direction in which things are going," Singh said. "Through ritual and practice, it is possible to change anything."

The exhibition will feature a perspective gallery that juxtaposes traditional faith-based works from the Ackland’s permanent collection with images of the contemporary works, to give visitors a sense of historical context.

"While expressing personal visions of spirituality, many artists also respond to the vicissitudes and demanding pace of contemporary life," Matilsky said. "They express a desire to provide viewers with a refuge, an opportunity to step out of routines and listen to the inner self.

"‘Five Artists · Five Faiths’ will give visitors a wonderful opportunity for just such reflection and contemplation," she said.

"Five Artists · Five Faiths" was made possible by generous funding from the William Hayes Ackland Trust, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Altajir World of Islam Trust and the Henry Luce Foundation.

The Ackland is on South Columbia Street near Franklin Street. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 1-5 p.m. Sundays. Admission is free. For more information, call 919-843-1611 (recorded information), 919-966-5736 (museum office), 919-962-0837 (TTY) or visit the Web site, www.ackland.org.

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Note: The first reference to "G-d" is in the title of a work of art. The second reflects a convention in orthodox Judaism for writing the name of God.

To download images from the exhibit by each of the five artists, go to: http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/ackland/Religion/

For a list of events accompanying the exhibition, visit: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/aug04/acklandevents080404.html 

Ackland contact: Maria Gloeggler, 919-843-3675, maria_gloeggler@unc.edu

News Services contacts: Print: L.J. Toler, 919-962-8589; broadcast, Karen Moon, 919-962-8595