Over the summer, my sister and I spent a week at the Prague Quadrennial in the Czech Republic. Each country had an exhibit and then the students of each country had an exhibit as well. They were all so interesting, but one of my favorites was Romania. Their exhibit was entirely devoted to the idea of “art as sacrifice”. Dumitru Staniloaie, a Romanian Eastern Orthodox priest once stated that, “For the Romanian people, the one who sacrifices himself becomes a fountain that quenches their thirst or renews their power of life. So, in the Romanian culture, building a church (or, more precisely, a monastery) and digging a fountain are the most noble and generous deeds, and through that they are tied to the idea of sacrifice or a total overcoming of the self from the one who performs them.”
Along with this statement from the now deceased theologian, Romania’s exhibit further explained their use of “art as sacrifice” in the following passage. “We propose a transformation of the idea of sacrifice understood as an instrument of creation. Any authentic relationship involves renewal through sacrifice, and this sacrifice provides a spiritual life. It is life, not death. Sacrifice takes us into the mystery of creation through the permanent fountain that comes from love and giving. The idea of giving is based on almighty love, giving love, a love that is beyond the artist, beyond the creator. It is the state of being of an artist who, by building and sacrificing, fulfils himself fully through his creation and becomes one with eternity.”
I remember reading this passage standing in front of their exhibit. It caught my breath. I remember reading it over multiple times, just trying to grasp everything it was saying. I thought it was so unabashedly beautiful, that they viewed art as a gateway to immortality. This idea of sacrifice and of a love that is beyond the artist and the creator, that it is really about giving something, about giving love. That we have to sacrifice in order to create something bigger than ourselves, and not just sacrifice time and space, but parts of our soul, body and mind. I never even viewed my art through this lense, and I know I need to reexamine it. And in reexamining my experience at the Prague Quadrennial, realizing how many gifts I was given and which ones I took to heart and which ones I set aside. I know I have let myself get in the way of my own work, whether it was vanity, self-consciousness or just ignorance, but I know I can try to take a step towards sacrifice, to “a total overcoming of the self”. It will be an interesting journey.
Looking back on my notes from the festival, I remembered how often I forget that there is so much art outside of America that I really never think about. There is so much going on right now all over the world in regards to art that it is overwhelming!!! So I leave you with just a few other rubies I found at the festival that I really enjoyed.
Here is the entire description of the Romania exhibit.
Here is possibly one of the COOLEST OPERAS EVER!!!! They did Andre Chenier this past summer and the design was amazing!!! Its the Bregenzer festival and almost everything on the set moved. The Andre Chenier has a huge Marat head which detaches from the neck to reveal a stack of books that the actors play on. The eyes open and close, a knife comes in and out of the water to stab him, spikes come out of his face, and the book he holds moves across the water while the performers sing! It is amazing.
Here is a link to the Ruhrtiennale which is a festival that creates new art in old and abandoned spaces such as former coal mines and steel works.
EXPLORE THE WORLD.
