Category: art

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Palestinian’s solitude art

Nidaa Barwan is a young Palestinian artist who took up solitude in order to withdraw from the horrors of war and oppression around her residence in Gaza. Taking up reading Garcia-Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude inspired her to conceive of consolidating her digital photographs into an exhibition theme titled “One Hundred Days of Solitude,” although she has maintained her solitude now for over a year, excluding only short forays from her room.

The exhibition has received attention, having been presented outside Gaza in Israel and profiled in the New York Times and by France24. Barwan structures the solitude of self as colorfully interior spaces, enriching the still-life photographs with a strong personal presence. As an artist, she asserts a protest to the world, naturally, and justifies this sentiment with a consciously constructed and maintained solitude.

URLs: http://www.nidaabadwan.com; http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/28/world/middleeast/finding-gaza-unbearable-artist-creates-her-own-world-in-one-room.html; http://www.france24.com/en/20150512-palestinian-artist-badwan-photography-bedroom-israel-hamas

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“In Pursuit of Silence” – film kickstarter

A Kickstarter campaign to complete Transcendental Media’s film project “In Pursuit of Silence” is nearing deadline, with funds still needed for last production trips and completion of film editing.

The project is described in great detail at the Kickstarter website: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/transcendentalmedia/in-pursuit-of-silence-finish-the-film and on the project’s website: http://www.pursuitofsilence.com

Here is a descriptive excerpt about the film, followed by the trailer:

In Pursuit of Silence is a meditative film about the value of silence, our relationship with sound, and the implications of living in such a noisy world. From the Desert Fathers of the third century AD who became the model for Christian monasticism to John Cage’s seminal work 4’33” which would go onto inspire a generation of artists, humankind has had a long fascination with silence. In our race towards modernity, amidst all the technological innovation and the rapid growth of our cities, silence is now quickly passing into legend. We struggle to hear ourselves think, imagine, and connect with one another. Offering audiences a contemplative cinematic experience, the sights and sounds of this film will work its way through frantic minds, into the quiet spaces of hearts, and help shape a new vision of being.

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Hermit cookies

from a package of Newman’s Own© Organic Hermits (hermit cookies):
“No hermits were harmed, mistreated, pestered or annoyed in the making of these cookies!”
hermit cookies

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Poetry, loneliness, solitude

The Poetry Foundation website includes a page of “Poems about Loneliness and Solitude” with the subheading: “Poetry offers solace for the lonely and a positive perspective on being alone.” Among the categories of selected poems are Celebrating Solitude, Wallowing in Loneliness, and Being Alone in a Crowd. Includes podcasts of readings and reflections on the relationship of poetry, loneliness, and solitude.

URL: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/article/244786

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“The Artful Recluse” art exhibit

ADDENDA (Dec. 6, 2012).
The exhibition “The Artful Recluse” is now at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art through January 20.
URL: http://www.sbma.net/exhibitions/artfulrecluse.web

The Asia Society Museum will present an exhibition titled “The Artful Recluse: Poetry and Politics in 17th century China” in the spring of 2013. From the website, here is a summary of the exhibition organized by the Santa Barbara Museum of Art:

This is the first exhibition to explore the theme of reclusion in Chinese painting and calligraphy within the broader context of political and social changes during the seventeenth century, a time of rich cultural expression and dramatic political change. The rise of major schools of regional painting as well as the trauma of the Ming dynasty’s collapse in 1644 and the Manchu Qing conquest provided an extraordinary context for the creation of historically conscious, often emotionally charged and deeply personal paintings and works of calligraphy. These images, however varied, share an overarching theme of reclusion, a concept of withdrawal and disengagement that has deep and significant roots in China, and which remains relevant in contemporary Chinese art and culture. The exhibition comprises approximately fifty-five works from public and private collections in the United States and Asia.

URL: http://asiasociety.org/new-york/exhibitions/artful-recluse-painting-poetry-and-politics-17th-century-china