The Aesthetics of Violence
Slow Burning Rapture: The Aesthetics of Violence and Other Tales of Pageantry - or - The Creation Mythos
The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, February 9 - May 4, 2024
Curated by Kristina Murray and Micah Lockman-Fine
The Aesthetics of Violence and Other Tales of Pageantry - or - The Creation Mythos, 2024, Styrofoam, wood, antique nails, salt, paint, glass eyes, found objects, digital projection, ashes, 96 x 90 x 96 inches
Sarah Peoples' installation The Aesthetics of Violence and Other Tales of Pageantry - or - The Creation Mythos, featured in the exhibition Slow Burning Rapture, explores the Finnish national epic, Kalevala. This 19th-century story details the creation of the world and the adventures of the mythical hero Lemminkäinen. The Kalevala, translated as "Land of Heroes," was introduced by the Finnish government to foster national unity and independence through shared cultural narratives. Its enduring influence is evident in its inspiration of numerous artistic works, including J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Jean Sibelius' renowned Lemminkäinen Suite, Op.22.
Peoples explores the epic's core themes: conservation of the natural world, cultural fascination with brutality, reverence for mysticism, and the universal aspects of human experience encompassing both pain and joy. She focused the Kalevela narrative primarily from the perspective of Lemminkäinen's mother, delving into the heroic determination of maternal love and the symbiotic relationship between mother and child. The installation centers on a pivotal moment in the epic: Lemminkäinen's death after attempting to shoot the sacred swan of the underworld, and his mother's subsequent quest to resurrect him.
Sarah Peoples' installation The Aesthetics of Violence and Other Tales of Pageantry - or - The Creation Mythos, featured in the exhibition Slow Burning Rapture, explores the Finnish national epic, Kalevala. This 19th-century story details the creation of the world and the adventures of the mythical hero Lemminkäinen. The Kalevala, translated as "Land of Heroes," was introduced by the Finnish government to foster national unity and independence through shared cultural narratives. Its enduring influence is evident in its inspiration of numerous artistic works, including J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Jean Sibelius' renowned Lemminkäinen Suite, Op.22.
Peoples explores the epic's core themes: conservation of the natural world, cultural fascination with brutality, reverence for mysticism, and the universal aspects of human experience encompassing both pain and joy. She focused the Kalevela narrative primarily from the perspective of Lemminkäinen's mother, delving into the heroic determination of maternal love and the symbiotic relationship between mother and child. The installation centers on a pivotal moment in the epic: Lemminkäinen's death after attempting to shoot the sacred swan of the underworld, and his mother's subsequent quest to resurrect him.
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The centerpiece of the installation is a larger-than-life flayed écorché, representing the fallen hero Lemminkäinen in front of a projected image of a modern operating room. The teal/turquoise color of the operating room projection, complements the écorché's palette and depicts modern methods of "resurrection" or healing. This juxtaposition of ancient and modern medical practices - from a mother piecing together her child with honey to high-tech surgical procedures - creates a cinematic theatricality that emphasizes the passage of time while blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. A black oval at the foot of the installation symbolizes the river of the underworld from which Lemminkäinen's mother retrieves her son's body. Peoples incorporates wood ashes into the installation, a recurring element in her work simultaneously representing the finality of cremation and the hope of new beginnings, echoing the cyclical nature of life and death present in the Kalevala. |
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The artist's feminist perspective is evident in her treatment of the female characters in the myth. Peoples draws attention to the fact that women in such narratives are often defined solely by their relationships to male characters, noting the repeated use of "anxious" to describe Lemminkäinen's mother, almost to the point where it becomes a stand-in for her name. By reinterpreting the Kalevala through a feminist lens and incorporating modern elements, she creates a work that is at once deeply rooted in tradition and strikingly relevant to contemporary discourse on gender, motherhood, and national identity.
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Press Release, The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education
Throughout history, humans have crafted stories which grapple with our ever-changing relationships to the natural world. Artists, too, create, dissect and disseminate work which makes sense of our ecological past, present and future. In Slow-Burning Rapture, artists construct personal and communal tales, interrogate nationalist epics and envision post-natural topographies through material play, building multifaceted myths which forecast our human-nature relationship in the Anthropocene.To achieve this end, electronic waste is woven together to create a river-like installation (Talia Greene); a beloved Finnish myth is theatrically brought to life through styrofoam, wood and salt (Sarah Peoples); animation software and drone footage meld to create a new social model in the form of a cityscape (Tim Portlock); 3D modeling is used to generate colorful, imagined rocks and minerals to “power” our cell phones (JULM Studios); and a sonic broadcast set in the near-distant future envelops the gallery space in sound (Jordan Deal).
The artists in this exhibition employ satire, reverence, trepidation and humor to make their point: that as our planet evolves and our landscapes change, our collective stories will continue to resonate. With vast references from mythology to mysticism and Afrofuturism to worldbuilding, and with nods to beloved creators like Octavia Butler and Joseph Campbell, each artist’s visual and sensory language plays a part in helping unravel the complexities of an altered world.
Throughout history, humans have crafted stories which grapple with our ever-changing relationships to the natural world. Artists, too, create, dissect and disseminate work which makes sense of our ecological past, present and future. In Slow-Burning Rapture, artists construct personal and communal tales, interrogate nationalist epics and envision post-natural topographies through material play, building multifaceted myths which forecast our human-nature relationship in the Anthropocene.To achieve this end, electronic waste is woven together to create a river-like installation (Talia Greene); a beloved Finnish myth is theatrically brought to life through styrofoam, wood and salt (Sarah Peoples); animation software and drone footage meld to create a new social model in the form of a cityscape (Tim Portlock); 3D modeling is used to generate colorful, imagined rocks and minerals to “power” our cell phones (JULM Studios); and a sonic broadcast set in the near-distant future envelops the gallery space in sound (Jordan Deal).
The artists in this exhibition employ satire, reverence, trepidation and humor to make their point: that as our planet evolves and our landscapes change, our collective stories will continue to resonate. With vast references from mythology to mysticism and Afrofuturism to worldbuilding, and with nods to beloved creators like Octavia Butler and Joseph Campbell, each artist’s visual and sensory language plays a part in helping unravel the complexities of an altered world.
American Still Life
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American Still Life 1 & 2, 2024, vintage found objects, styrofoam, plaster, resin, paint, ash, bone, 35 x 23 x 12 inches
American Still Life draws inspiration from the rich symbolism and moralistic themes prevalent in 16th and 17th century Dutch Still Life paintings, while reimagining these classical elements through a contemporary American lens. These works feature two vintage, plastic, blow-molded swans as ceremonial bearers of complex still life arrangements of fruit and Americana. The swans support a structure that displays a mirrored cornucopia of symbolic objects employing a horror vacui approach, characteristic of Baroque art, wherein every space is meticulously filled with detail. The stark white swans create a dramatic contrast with the colorful and chaotic assemblage they support, emphasizing the juxtaposition between artificial purity and the complex, often messy nature of American culture.
The sculptural compositions are divided into two distinct halves: the lower half depicts decay and mortality through elements such as rotten fruit, soiled American flags, wilted flowers, and partially consumed candles, while the upper portion presents an idealized, rose-tinted perfection. This dichotomy creates a highly intentional cinematic effect, guiding the viewer's gaze and inviting contemplation of life's transience and the illusory nature of material pursuits. The incorporation of iconic Americana, including objects like red Solo cups, infuses the work with additional layers of cultural critique. These modern elements are juxtaposed against traditional vanitas symbols, creating a dialogue between historical artistic traditions and contemporary societal values. By melding these diverse elements - the elegance of swans, the symbolic weight of Dutch still life objects, and the kitsch of modern American consumer culture - American Still Life offers a nuanced commentary on the complexities of contemporary existence. It invites viewers to consider the enduring relevance of memento mori themes in an age of materialism and digital impermanence, while also reflecting on the evolving nature of American identity and values.
The sculptural compositions are divided into two distinct halves: the lower half depicts decay and mortality through elements such as rotten fruit, soiled American flags, wilted flowers, and partially consumed candles, while the upper portion presents an idealized, rose-tinted perfection. This dichotomy creates a highly intentional cinematic effect, guiding the viewer's gaze and inviting contemplation of life's transience and the illusory nature of material pursuits. The incorporation of iconic Americana, including objects like red Solo cups, infuses the work with additional layers of cultural critique. These modern elements are juxtaposed against traditional vanitas symbols, creating a dialogue between historical artistic traditions and contemporary societal values. By melding these diverse elements - the elegance of swans, the symbolic weight of Dutch still life objects, and the kitsch of modern American consumer culture - American Still Life offers a nuanced commentary on the complexities of contemporary existence. It invites viewers to consider the enduring relevance of memento mori themes in an age of materialism and digital impermanence, while also reflecting on the evolving nature of American identity and values.
Baby Shower
Baby Shower, Found object Neoclassical fiberglass tub surround, caulk, soap, wood, 7’ x’5’ x 20”, 2024
Baby Shower presents a provocative juxtaposition of a discarded, mass-produced fiberglass tub surround with Neoclassical motifs. The artist's choice of this prefabricated, "big box store" item as a foundation introduces an immediate tension between high and low culture, craftsmanship and mass production. The central focus of the piece is a bas-relief depicting Italian Putti, cherubic figures commonly found in Renaissance and Baroque art. However, these Putti are far from their traditional representations of innocence and divine love. Instead, they are sculpted from caulk—a mundane, utilitarian material—in various postures of surrender, their chubby arms raised skyward in gestures of distress or supplication. This portrayal subverts the conventional symbolism of Putti, transforming them from harbingers of celestial benevolence to emblems of vulnerability and powerlessness.
The artist's use of caulk as a sculptural medium is particularly noteworthy. This material, typically employed for sealing and waterproofing in bathroom installations, is repurposed here as an artistic medium. Flanking the central relief, the built-in shelves of the tub surround are repurposed as display niches, hosting an array of weapons and ammunition meticulously crafted from bars of white soap. This jarring inclusion transforms the once-mundane shower space into a pseudo-altar, blending the sacred and the profane. The choice of soap as the medium for these violent objects creates a powerful dichotomy—tools of destruction rendered in a material associated with cleansing and purity.
This installation masterfully blends elements of classical art, contemporary sculpture, and found-object assemblage. By combining the mass-produced tub surround, hand-sculpted caulk figures, and soap weaponry, the artist creates a rich dialogue between different epochs, artistic traditions, and societal values. "Baby Shower" challenges viewers to reconsider the boundaries between the sacred and the mundane, and between innocence and corruption. The work can be interpreted as a commentary on various contemporary issues: the omnipresence of violence in society, the commodification of classical aesthetics, or the hidden brutalities that can exist within domestic spaces. By placing symbols of violence within a space typically associated with cleansing and privacy, the artist provokes questions about the sanctity of personal spaces in an increasingly troubled world.
The artist's use of caulk as a sculptural medium is particularly noteworthy. This material, typically employed for sealing and waterproofing in bathroom installations, is repurposed here as an artistic medium. Flanking the central relief, the built-in shelves of the tub surround are repurposed as display niches, hosting an array of weapons and ammunition meticulously crafted from bars of white soap. This jarring inclusion transforms the once-mundane shower space into a pseudo-altar, blending the sacred and the profane. The choice of soap as the medium for these violent objects creates a powerful dichotomy—tools of destruction rendered in a material associated with cleansing and purity.
This installation masterfully blends elements of classical art, contemporary sculpture, and found-object assemblage. By combining the mass-produced tub surround, hand-sculpted caulk figures, and soap weaponry, the artist creates a rich dialogue between different epochs, artistic traditions, and societal values. "Baby Shower" challenges viewers to reconsider the boundaries between the sacred and the mundane, and between innocence and corruption. The work can be interpreted as a commentary on various contemporary issues: the omnipresence of violence in society, the commodification of classical aesthetics, or the hidden brutalities that can exist within domestic spaces. By placing symbols of violence within a space typically associated with cleansing and privacy, the artist provokes questions about the sanctity of personal spaces in an increasingly troubled world.