Locating Spirituality & From Objects to Icons

Curatorial Statement:

Locating Spirituality simultaneously acts as a retrospective of SNAP’s archival collection as well as an introspective display of the spaces depicted by artists working at SNAP over the past thirty years. Using an assortment of technical methods, these prints capture spaces embodying moments of spiritual reflection. The artists depict various locations, from traditional sites to the natural environment, and offer the viewer an opportunity to become immersed in a broad range of landscapes. Moments of isolation and reflection are caught on paper, expressing a connection between artwork, location and spirituality.

Within the environment, domestic scenes and the physical body also challenge traditional religious sites. Gardens and mountainscapes hang in juxtaposition to street scenes and household interiors. These alternative settings evolve into traditional sites of worship as the viewer moves through the gallery, provoking new experiences and challenging the requirements of devotional sites.

The locality of divine reflection is challenged and opened up to new possibilities in Locating Spirituality. Potential landscapes for religious revelation are displayed in an extensive variety of sites. Locating Spirituality works in conjunction with From Objects to Icons to stimulate questions regarding space and imagery when the viewer is presented with alternatives to traditional concepts and beliefs.

From Objects to Icons is a collection of prints pulled from SNAP’s archives examining objects as spiritual icons, challenging the traditional pursuit of iconic objects and discovering these objects hidden within the mundane items of daily life.

Pop culture items are elevated to iconic status, reinforcing the act of worship devoted to banal objects examined in this exhibit. Food is elevated from its daily status of consumable item, and concurrently it is revered for the fulfillment and gratification it provides visually and physically. Consumption of food and culture is represented by the relationship between prints on display and the ritual of the Eucharist.

Man-made objects, both degrading and commonplace, are heightened to a sense of reverence while the human body becomes a visual record of religious dedication. As a machine itself, the body deteriorates and becomes the object of worship in imitations of traditional Madonna images.

Progressing through the gallery, the viewer becomes intertwined with the ritual movement of circumambulating the room while artwork stands on display in lieu of an altar. The ritual of gazing upon an object mimics the bowing heads depicted within the artwork, a religious pose contrasted by the viewer’s stare. Reflecting on the works becomes a ritual act as the viewer contemplates these everyday “icons.”

curator biography

Tessa Hawkins: “Born on the West Coast, I am continuing my studies from the University of Victoria where I completed my Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Art History in April 2010. My degree included a year of various co-op placements ranging from the Sooke Fine Arts Show Exhibitions Coordinator to Parks Canada Collection Assistant. I focused on Islamic art during my undergraduate degree, which led me to my current thesis topic. My Masters of Art thesis is focused on the Ottoman Empire’s participation in the Great Exhibition of London in 1851. In my thesis I am applying concepts of the “other” to the print culture, both in text and visual depictions, produced by English media regarding Turkey and its court within the Great Exhibition’s Crystal Palace.”

Opening Reception: July 7, 2012.