Until now we have usually spoken about contemporary art in one side and religious art in the other as if we were discussing different issues which even seem opposed. In this exhibition we have brought together both of them showing the existence of a contemporary religious art, fresh, alive, and breathing at a global level.
This is a daring challenge and almost conflicting as we are swimming in two waters. From a religious point of view, people used to seeing classical religious images, find contemporary art not very explicit with the message that is trying to transmit, and perhaps too conceptual to be able to evangelize. But in fact, it is actually an art which is freer, opening the door to meditation, interior or contemplative prayer at a more personal level. Whenever you come across a work of contemporary Christian art, you discover that each person lives it as a personal and untransferable experience, as if it carries a message that talks directly to them.
On the other hand, we find in the contemporary art world - galleries, art critics…- that usually exclude art which has a religious inspiration because they feel that it is too orientated, backwards and not at all “avant-garde”. But this isn’t true: an art deep in meaning and at the same time, cutting edge in form, exists and here you´ll find the proof!
In Art+Faith a selected group of 38 artists have been chosen among more than 3000 at an international level, so that they could represent at the World Youth Day a taste of today’s contemporary Christian art scene. These artists have been carefully selected so that they would be not only great professionals, with cutting edge works, but also amazing human beings, coherent with their Christian faith and involved in their churches. We searched for artists whose life vocation was to be bridges between art and faith.
After a long and arduous search – visiting webs, attending lectures, congresses, art fairs, contacting magazines, universities and various artistic associations and Christian communities – the candidates gradually sprouted. In the middle of the storm, a light in the horizon appeared with the listing of hundreds of European artists sent by the Dutch Christian Artists Network. In Europe, the person who undoubtedly focused the search was Marleen Hehgerlaar, editor of the magazine Art-way, who has been an independent consultant for this exhibition.
We also need to thank the Philippine conceptual artist and Jesuit Priest, Father Jason Dy, who has been the link with the Asian Christian Art Association , putting us in contact with artists in China, Korea, Malaysia and Australia. His creativity and deep spirituality has been an enormous support in the organization of Art+Faith. His unstoppable enthusiasm has taken him to come up spontaneously with a brilliant poster for this exhibition.
In the American front Art+Faith has walked holding the hands of the most important Christian gallery in the US, White Stone Gallery in Philadelphia, and the the National Museum of Catholic Art and Library, NMCAL, based in Washington Dc. It is extremely difficult and actually unique to encounter galleries so passionate about art and at the same time surrendered to the love of God, like Susan and Derek Hooks have shown us. They helped us spot incredible artists and always concerned about the importance that not only the artwork should be outstanding but also the very own artist. On an institutional level, Cristina Cox, the Director of NMCAL, has been amazingly supportive of this exhibition right from the beginning, already when we were sketching the project she was so enthusiastic that she gave us the impulse to start. It was in fact her, the very own Director of the Catholic Museum, the first one in favour of making it an ecumenical exhibition and not only a show of Roman Catholic Artists; as one of their Museum interests is to use art as a link between the different manifestation of the Christian faith.
Therefore, Art+Faith has gathered artists from the Catholic Church, the Russian Orthodox Church and various protestant churches from all over the world. The variety of colour at a cultural, racial, social, and spiritual level is overwhelming. It is impressive to see how artists that come from different Christian denominations all come together at their own root: Christ. The language of art does not have theological nor historical conflicts, it’s an open map where all the Christian churches can express their particular path, creating one only highway to faith: “The sacredness if an image
The Pope Benedict XVI very clearly explains how the sacredness of an image implies the interior life of the artist and his encounter with the Lord.: “ The Sacredness of an image consists precisely in the fact that it is based in an interior vision and thus takes us deeper into our internal vision. It should fruit of interior contemplation, of a personal encounter of the believer with the new reality of the Resurrected one, and in this way it should introduce in us a new look to our soul, in a prayer encounter with The Lord.” (Joseph Ratzinger, Teologia della liturgia [Teología de la liturgia, n.d.t.] Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Ciudad del Vaticano 2010, p. 131).
The World Youth Day 2011, organizes this exhibition, selected by the local organizing committee, for its vivid and committed discourse making echo of Saint Paul words “Rooted and built up in Christ, and established in the faith” (Col. 2,7) motto of the encounter. Actually this is how all are artists shown at Art+Faith are; proving with their artwork that creativity is not argued with the faith, it’s even enlightened by it, inspired and strengthened. Christian artists from different backgrounds and denominations rooted and built up in Christ and established in the faith, build with their work a bridge uniting art and faith with one aim: to bring us everyday closer to God through art.. Thank you for being part of this challenge.
Maria Tarruella
Curator of Art+Faith
