LAST POST FROM THE FRALIN MUSEUM 0F ART

I found this last exhibit very interesting.  We entered the first room of a two room exhibit where we could see several heads on the walls.  The lighting was dark but each head had spotlights on them.  It is called "sometimes.we.cannot.be.with.our.bodies", and went on display February 22nd, 2019 and will end on July 7th, 2019.

The information on the website reads: "The artist, Vanessa German, is a visual and performance artist based in the Pittsburg neighborhood of Homewood.  

Homewood is the community that is the driving force behind Ms. German's powerful performance work, and whose cast-off relics form the language of her copiously embellished sculptures.  As a citizen artist, Ms. German explores the power of art and loves as a transformative force in the dyanamic cultural ecosystem of communities and neighborhoods.  She is the founder of Love Front Porch and the ARThouse, a community arts initiative for the children of Homewood.  

sometimes.we.cannot.be.with.our.bodies, is an immersive installation of sculpture and sound that originated at the Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh, in 2017, and is being reimagined in the Fralin.  In the artist's words, "this is a dimensional living reckoning, the living reckoning is bold, eruptive, disruptive work against systems and pathologies that oppress and subvert overt and covert violence onto and into the lives and humanity of marginalized people on this land."  Ms. German will be in residence in March, working with students and community members, creating art, poetry and understanding.  The work will travel to The Union for Contemporary Art, as part of the annual Wanda D. Ewing Commission in September, 2019."

There is an interesting biography of Ms. German here.  I'm sorry for all the adverts on this page, but her story is so interesting and I couldn't find another website that told it in such detail, plus the fact that the photos are great.  The website is at Artnet News.

 To continue, the bodies who could not be with their heads, were seen as soon as you stepped through a doorway out of this darkened room, and into a much brighter one.  It is quite a visual effect and at first I couldn't take in what was before me.  But then I started looking at the detail and was amazed at the ingenuity of this lady's work.  It is extraordinary and like a lot of works of art, photos do not do it justice.  

You would really have to see this with your own eyes, but I hope I have captured some of the genius that captivated me.  Frankly I could have stayed in there much longer than I did...

and I could not stop taking photos.  I am grateful that the museum allows us to do that.  I always ask.

In closer and you get to see the details of what has been used.

Everything imaginable.

I recognize the pattern on these stockings.  An old neighbor and friend made us a blanket in the same design.

This is my first experience of performance art and it was definitely a good one.  

There is no admission to the museum and you can stay there as long as it takes.  The staff are friendly and helpful too.

Thanks for joining me on this tour of the Fralin Museum of Art.  I hope you enjoyed it.