VIEW IN MY ROOM
United States
Collage, Photo on Soft (Yarn, Cotton, Fabric)
Size: 20 W x 20 H x 3 D in
ARTIST’S STATEMENT: VERONICA’S CLOTHS While this body of work is not about a particular religious belief or canon, the series title takes its name from the St. Veronica legend. It is said Veronica wiped Christ’s face with her veil during his journey carrying the cross. The image of his face miraculously left an impression on the cloth. The series Veronica’s Cloths explores the residual nature of physical and emotional trauma. Each work is an assemblage sewn on a vintage handkerchief in a manner purposefully pointing to that which is “grandmotherly,” wise, and reflective. The unexpected juxtapositions of familiar materials, emotionally-charged images, and menacing objects (insects, spiders, snakes) are designed to attract and repel the viewer – an uncanny valley. The works represent flashes in the mind’s eye and suggest an untold drama of violation, loss, anger, grief, pain, and shame. The images are photographs of details from objects in public collections and museums (art, natural history, cemeteries, arboreta, et. al.). These details taken out of context suggest clues to a more complex narrative drama and beg the question, “what happened?” They represent the hauntings of experience and call for justice. The works are informed by my heritage as an Irish-American (non-practicing) Roman Catholic growing up in the South and my beliefs in feminism, secular humanism, and social justice. Writings on phenomenology, ontology, hauntology, and semiotics provide theoretical underpinnings. I admire contemporary vernacular art, Mexican retablos, Huipil Grande Traje de Gala of the Istmo de Tehuntepec tradition and other types of resplandors, religious shrines, Baroque art, 17th Century Dutch still life paintings, Haitian Voudou flags, and African power figures (nkisi) of Kongo tradition. Biography K. Johnson Bowles has been featured in 80+ exhibitions and 60+ publications. She is the recipient of fellowships from the NEA, Houston Center for Photography, the Visual Studies Workshop, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. She received her MFA from Ohio University and BFA from Boston University. Published in LandLocked Magazine, Issue 3.1, 2021, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
Collage:Photo on Soft (Yarn, Cotton, Fabric)
Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork
Size:20 W x 20 H x 3 D in
Frame:Not Framed
Ready to Hang:No
Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.
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United States
K. Johnson Bowles has exhibited in more than 80 solo and group exhibitions nationally. Feature articles, essays, and reviews of her work have appeared in 60 publications around the country including SPOT (Houston Center for Photography), Sculpture, Fiberarts, and the Houston Post. She is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Individual Fellowship and a Houston Center for Photography Fellowship. Recently, she served as an artist in residence at the Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester, NY. She received her MFA in photography and painting from Ohio University and BFA in painting from Boston University. http://kjohnsonbowlesart.com
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