Tuesday, May 22, 2018

An Exploration of Identity: Your Self-Guided Gallery Tour Companion Guide





ELAINE WEINER-REED

MASKS AND MIRRORS - AN EXPLORATION OF IDENTITY

A Chaney Gallery Solo Exhibition 

(May – July 2018)


Self-Guided Gallery Tour Companion Guide


Companion Audio Reflections: https://www.elaineweinerreed.com


       Life is messy, unfinished, and beautiful.  

This exhibition is experiential, personal, introspective, and multi-dimensional. 
It celebrates life, honoring the human spirit.


     This exhibition is a virtual tour through life. Although the dialogue might have begun in my studio, I hope you will join in. The journey from one painting to the next is a progression through space and time. The paintings provide glimpses into life-changing stages and challenging times when we choose our attitude, shoulder a new way to keep going, or choose a new path, changing our destiny. Our world and identity are colored by experiences, feelings, thoughts, and perceptions.

 
Elaine Weiner-Reed (EWR) - Masks and Mirrors - An Exploration of Identity Exhibition (First Wall)
© 2018 Elaine Weiner-Reed


     Entering the gallery, the first section or wall of the show, which I refer to as “Looking Inward,” is organized from the perspective of our earlier years, when most of the information is processed from the perspective of how it impacts or matters to us (the ME years). Our world is contained or limited by many factors, and we are mainly doing what others tell us to do do…and trying to figure out what WE want, instead.

     From there or before you even start your gallery tour, I invite you to pause and watch my YouTube video “Masks and Mirrors: Beyond Reality.”  This short video provides a quick overview of elements to consider as reference points, giving insights into why “Masks and Mirrors” has became the overarching theme for my ongoing body of work, and why I am fascinated with the evolution of one's identity and all that it involves. 

 

Elaine Weiner-Reed (EWR) - Masks and Mirrors - An Exploration of Identity Exhibition (Second Wall)
"Resurrection" (Sculpture)   © 2018 Elaine Weiner-Reed

     As you finish watching the video and compare the first wall with this one, you will notice that this second, longer wall, is more color-rich, with lots of reds and bolder colors. Many things are going on in the paintings, and a lot of emotion is conveyed, along with mystery portrayed in scenes, people, or titles. There is a lot of material, stories within stories... I refer to this wall as the “Inside/Outside” wall, meaning inside our heads, homes, and hearts…and within ourselves. And on the flip side, this phase might also takes us outside of ourselves, our cultures, our homes, and our comfort zones. You might want to think of it as an extended or multi-faceted “leaving the nest” phase, where we venture outward, expanding social circles, language, experiences, knowledge, and impressions. In this phase, we are pushing our boundaries ever wider, opening our minds and our world. Perhaps we are reinventing ourselves, committing to relationships, traveling, defining our lives…It could last for decades.

     Present with us in the room, are three sculptures, titled: “Many Faces,” “Awakening,” and “Resurrection.” As you slowly walk around and between them, see what you can discover and how they relate to the painted artwork. 

     Consider this: Life is greater than the sum of its parts and so are we. There are mysteries to explore and masks to find. Examine the many facets, angles, shadows, and parts and relate it to your own journey. At times, we are vulnerable, unmasked, and our very undercarriage is exposed. But we walk on. We cast shadows, leave traces… We rise, tired, and sometimes broken, and by sheer will, right ourselves, even as it feels like our legs are made of stone and our heart is broken or missing… At such times, only our spirit keeps us among the living. We are survivors, we are the Phoenix Rising. These sculptures are memorials to all the everyday heroes I have known, those whom I call friend or colleague or neighbor, and those I only pass on the road or on the runway of life.

 

Elaine Weiner-Reed (EWR) - Masks and Mirrors - An Exploration of Identity Exhibition (Alcove, Social Room)
© 2018 Elaine Weiner-Reed

     Into the alcove, the smaller room, we enter what I think of as the “Social Room.” Some Call it Chemistry… In the scenarios, there are groups of people, yet the individuals remain unique, mysteries in a dynamic scene we try to unravel. Who are they? Why are they there? What is the gathering about? What happened before and after the scene captured in the paintings? Did someone just vacate the chairs or is someone expected any moment? What is the mood or energy captured in the rooms? Do you think you would join any of the get-togethers? How will the scene play out? What is the beginning? What is the ending? You tell me…* 

   And then, on the inside archway wall: The Identity Station or Wall of Mirrors. Gazing back-and-forth from the painted scenes to the mirrors, ask yourself: What – or who  do you see? Do you see yourself? Are you now within the scenes, as well? They are reflected with you in the mirrors… What is real? How would you pretend to have a role in those four "painted interiors" behind and around you? How is our identity changed or altered over time and throughout a lifetime – on the inside and outside? How much control do we have? Do we “own” who we are? How much can we influence who we become?

 

Elaine Weiner-Reed (EWR) - Masks and Mirrors - An Exploration of Identity Exhibition (Identity Station Wall, Social Room)
© 2018 Elaine Weiner-Reed

     As we re-enter the larger room, turn left. On a wall by itself, the painting “BraveHeart” joins the sculptures in paying tribute to courage and surviving what comes our way. Not perfect, not always fully formed, but alive and moving forward…



Elaine Weiner-Reed (EWR) - Masks and Mirrors - An Exploration of Identity Exhibition ("BraveHeart")
© 2018 Elaine Weiner-Reed


     Finally, the last wall as we head back toward the entry door…  I refer to this wall as the “Legacy” or “so what” wall. We are one person, and throughout our lifetime, we bump up against others, much as a pinball – sometimes on purpose, and sometimes at random. We search for our own brand of meaning and style and purpose. Our self-awareness expands as we reflect on our actions and consequences or what we do or don’t do. Who influenced us and who do we influence? Time is relative… Everything and everyone is relative, connected. Our world is vast, yet smaller every day. What positive difference or contribution have we made? What footprint remains after we exit?

 

Elaine Weiner-Reed (EWR) - Masks and Mirrors - An Exploration of Identity Exhibition (Final, Legacy Wall)
© 2018 Elaine Weiner-Reed

     From our perceptions of reality to our memories… Time is relative. We are a part of history. We remember, we relate, we teach, and we invent. From Ashes to Ashes…and dust to dust, our legacy determined and written in the paths we have taken, lives we have touched, hands we have held. In the Mirror, unmasked in the end is our legacy – reflected, fragile, temporal – and hopefully beautiful.


Thank you for coming and participating. Our legacies are connected.


*You can also find the video on my YouTube Channel and watch it on your smart device.

 

STAY CONNECTED

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elaineweinerart@gmail.com



 © 2018 Elaine Weiner-Reed (EWR)
      All images and content remain the property of the Artist. No reproductions or prints are authorized. All rights reserved.

Friday, May 18, 2018

Beyond the Looking Glass


Into the Looking Glass...and Back Out

 Who am I?  


Elaine Weiner-Reed (EWR) - "Mirror, Mirror" (24" W x 36" H)
© 2016 Elaine Weiner-Reed

Mirrors

Fragmentary, flipped reflections of ourselves
 ...at a moment in time. 
We never quite see ourselves
 as the world sees us.
 
 
Looking in the mirror is an interesting activity at best. At times, the image reflected back at us could be perceived as scary, illuminating, lonely, joyful, beautiful, or peaceful. Sometimes we see ourselves looking back, sometimes a younger or older version of ourselves. It could even be a stranger. Mirrors sometimes reflect what we want to see, sometimes quite the opposite. Always, though, our reflection in a mirror is only a fragmentary and flipped version of ourselves at one moment in time.  Regardless, I know of very few people who actually like their time in front of a mirror. I and most people I know, merely glance and run.


Masks of Many Purposes

We are all a complex combination of what we conceal and reveal.

 

At several stages of my life - possibly without realizing it consciously - I armed or literally "armored" myself with what I refer to now as my "body mask." When I wanted to be unapproachable, I consciously or unconsciously put on weight. Interestingly, it had the same effect as a shield. I became invisible to many, repulsive to others. And to a rare few, I continued to be ME. In such times, we learn what we and others are truly made of...who is more substance-focused and who is more interested in the surface and more superficial things.

Elaine Weiner-Reed (EWR) - "Backup Mask" (9" W x 12" H)
© 2017 Elaine Weiner-Reed


Sometimes, I would compose poems or write and sketch in a journal to express my feelings and experiences during trying times. The following reflection is from a time when I realized that to some people, I was unimportant. A student of human dynamics, I found it fascinating that because I was overweight, I was invisible. Not only that, but apparently my "chubby" voice could not be heard in a meeting, either. Like I said...fascinating! The realization of the relativity of existence was rather illuminating. I soon realized that such superficial individuals did not matter to me, either, and that being invisible actually had side-benefits in some situations! I opted to think of it as a 'superpower.' (Face it, we all want a superpower...and the Marvel or DC heroes could not choose their superpower, either!)



Invisible Me...
 
     I live between the lines, in color and scent and sound. 
           I am a part of the universe...as are you. Not apart.
  But you cannot see me perhaps because your eyes are closed?
Perhaps your mind and heart, as well...?

      Could it be that you look no farther than the comfortable, 
            the familiar, the new, the shiny, the beautiful?
If so, I feel sorry for you. You miss so much!

No, I am not invisible.
    I am not silent or without meaning. 

        I am energy, color, sound, and light. 
Some can see me. Some look for me.
I am visible when I choose to be
...and when you choose to see.  

- EWR



   What would our image in the mirror look like
 if we could see a composite of what the world sees? 



Elaine Weiner-Reed (EWR) - "Altered State" (24" W x 36" H)
© 2017 Elaine Weiner-Reed

 

Who am I? Who are we, really...?


While we might not have different personalities, we definitely have multiple personas - each persona is tied to the roles we play. For me: Mom, sister, friend, colleague, artist, writer... In each of the different roles, we might act or speak or dress differently. Our personas are the many facets of our lives.


As I create (painting, sculpture, writing), I often lose track of the fact that everything I make is a part of me, my autobiography. In the moment, immersed in creating something from an idea and raw materials, I explore and examine life in all its dimensions. I contemplate and replay memories, reliving and exploring feelings of pain, joy, hope, frustration, and relief. Always, I paint and sculpt with all that I am, and all that I have to give. 

Every facet of my life is and will always be 
pieces and parts of the whole,
and my hope is that the "whole" 
will be greater than the sum of my parts
when all is said and done. 

My legacy, like yours, began with my first reflection in a mirror. 

From there, I hope that it has taken flight, never again confined!


I hope you will visit my solo exhibition and collaboration events in Annapolis. The link to the information follows:

https://www.marylandhall.org/exhibitions/masks-and-mirrors-explorations-identity-elaine-weiner-reed

 
      Thank you for reading, and thanks, as always, for your support.

                                    Yours in art and gratitude,
                                           Elaine






STAY CONNECTED

http://twitter.com/ElaineWeinerArt
http://www.facebook.com/WeinerReed/
http://www.elaineweinerreed.com
http://instagram.com/ewrartist/
http://www.pinterest.com/weinerart/
http://www.linkedin.com/in/elaine-weiner-reed-ewr-36519623/
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCCOWgiFVseJGV0DZja5V-w
elaineweinerart@gmail.com



 © 2018 Elaine Weiner-Reed (EWR)
      All images and content remain the property of the Artist. No reproductions or prints are authorized. All rights reserved.