A new virtual exhibition hosted by Chicago's 33 Contemporary explores the concept of incorporating halos in contemporary art. The show, Circle of Light: Halos in Contemporary Art, is accessible through the Artsy website (www.artsy.net) and runs for the month of January.
Terry Strickland, Fragile Like a Bomb, oil, 16 x 12"“The halo has become a widely recognized design feature in art due to its frequent association with divinity, importance and purity,” says Sergio Gomez, director of 33 Contemporary and curator of Circle of Light. “These days, contemporary artists may use this symbol to imply a wide range of thoughts and meanings, not just religious ones. The halo over a person’s head in a portrait suggests a distinct way to relate to that individual. Exploring contemporary uses for an ancient visual symbol will be a fascinating experience.”
Sergio Gomez, Singular Reverence, paper and acrylic on canvas, 50 x 40"
Traci Wright Martin, Confinement (Spilosoma Lubricipeda), charcoal, watercolor and gold on printed paper, 18 x 18"
Artist Terry Strickland’s Fragile Like a Bomb is a portrait of a warrior for justice, her halo a call back to Joan of Arc. Numerous women of strength and consequence are referenced throughout the portrait in subtle ways. “She pushes the boundaries of society for a more equitable future across gender, racial and economic lines,” Strickland says of her subject. “Her medieval armor and futuristic headgear signal that her battle is far-reaching, from ancient past to distant future. The “Dissent” emblem on her armor is a tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and her halo of LED lights, a ghost of Joan of Arc’s divine calling. The title is from a Frida Kahlo quote, ‘She was not fragile like a flower; she was fragile like a bomb.’”
Amanda Greive, Wallflower, oil on wood panel, 36 x 24"
Ariane Kamps, Vox Dei In Cyberia, oil on panel, 12"
Vox Dei in Cyberia, by Ariane Kamps, is a 12-inch wood tondo oil painting with edges gilded in gold leaf. In it, a young woman holding an apple stares at a halo above her head with a look of apprehension etched on her face. “For me the piece is an exploration of our relationship to technology through the lens of myth or dreamlike imagery. The subject is an allusion to Eve in the garden and her choice whether to eat the forbidden fruit to ‘be like God’ or not,” says Kamps. “In the technological world, humanity is very much making choices about immortality, something like telepathy, having godlike powers aided by AI and the very tempting eventuality of merging with machines. It sounds fantastical but it’s right around the corner, this new frontier. As a civilization we will be asking these questions of what our relationship towards that power will be, what will it look like [and] who do we want to be?”
Daggi Wallace, After The Storm, dry and liquid charcoal and acrylic ink on paper, 14 x 11"“A halo surrounds the subject, representing a holy process of transformation and change,” Traci Wright Martin says of her charcoal and watercolor Confinement (Spilosoma Lubricipeda). This is one of several pieces the artist created in 2020 during the pandemic lockdown. “Feelings of change were all around, both personally and throughout the world,” she says.
A number of other esteemed artists will be showing in the exhibition, including Gomez, Daggi Wallace, John Hyland, Amanda Greive, Christopher Herrera, Mariah Kaminsky and Michael Hlousek-Nagle, to name a few. —
33 Contemporary
1029 W. 25th Street • Chicago, IL 60609
(708) 837-4534 • www.33contemporary.com
www.artsy.net/show/33-contemporary-circle-of-light-halos-in-contemporary-art
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