St Ann’s Church, St Ann Street, Manchester M2 7LFHow did it get so dark? was inspired by the ninth-century ritual of Tenebrae (Latin for shadows) which, through the contrasting use of candlelight, darkness, silence, spoken word and cacophonous sound, reflects the events leading up to Easter. Central to the experience are suffering and redemption. It is also known as the ‘extinguishing of the lights’, where candles are put out throughout the service. Often, there remains one light still glowing, which is symbolic of hope – a glimmer.
In this exhibition,
PassionArt have approached the idea from many different starting points – some with faith, some without – and using many different media. Despite, and because of, all our differences we have collaborated to create a collective response based on our own perspectives – political, spiritual, personal – and on the answers provided by members of the public to the question, How did it get so dark?
Where is your darkness? Where is your light? Explore. Reflect. Be.
1 Paved Court, Richmond TW9 1LZMeet the Artist: Saturday 9 March 2 – 4 pm
The exhibition by
Peter S Smith reflects his interest in normal everyday experiences and the ways that these can be transformed by the materials, processes and metaphors of a shared visual language.
Peter is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers and a Member of the Society of Wood Engravers. His work is held in many private and public collections including, Tate Britain; The Ashmolean, Oxford; The Fitzwilliam, Cambridge; The Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam and The Glenbow Museum, Calgary, Canada.
“The Way I See It – Wood Engravings and Etchings by Peter S Smith” Piquant Editions 2006, has an introductory essay “No Endangered Species” by Dr. Calvin Seerveld.
“Peter’s wood engravings and etchings are so much expressions of the identical sensibility, rather than exercises in contrasted media, that they subliminally make one think of him not as a wood engraver or an etcher as such, at all, but as a printmaker and an artist. Not all wood engravers achieve that, let alone effortlessly. He has done his printmaking MA, he knows all about techniques but he never succumbs to the flash or relies on the technically accomplished. He keeps his work and us always on the edge.”
Simon Brett RE (Book review of ‘The Way I See It’ in Multiples, November 2006).
Peter S Smith has a BA Fine Art (Painting) from Birmingham College of Art and Design (1969) and a PGCE from Manchester Polytechnic (1970). He was awarded the West Midlands Arts Fine Art Fellowship (1977-1979) and an MA (Printmaking) from Wimbledon School of Art (1992).
He lives in Richmond and his studio is in London at the St Bride Foundation.
Art Stations of the Cross: Troubled Waters
6 March - 22 April 2019, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. "Why have you forsaken me?"
Jesus’ words from the cross resonate with the anguish felt by many people today. This feeling is especially acute for those on the margins of society, from refugees to victims of trafficking. Art Stations of the Cross is a unique public art project, taking visitors on a creative and contemplative journey. Using the story and symbols of the Passion to reflect upon contemporary injustices.
The project takes inspiration from the tradition of the Stations of the Cross, which represent 14 events along Jesus' final journey through Jerusalem - from his condemnation to crucifixion and burial. In Amsterdam, a 15th station is added: the resurrection. This exhibition charts its own Via Dolorosa, or Way of Suffering, with stops in 14+1 sites across the city of Amsterdam. It weaves through secular and religious spaces, including the St. Nicholas Basilica, Reinwardt Academy, The Small Museum at Paradiso, and the oldest building in the city, the Oude Kerk.
The exhibition focuses on Amsterdam's historic identity as a port-city. The sea can be a place of miracles - as the Bible teaches - but it is also a site of trauma. Syrian refugees attempt perilous crossings of the Mediterranean to escape their country's civil war. Young people have arrived in Europe via shipping containers, only to be enslaved in sex-work. And rising water temperatures cause by climate change have led to unprecedented natural disasters, especially impacting the poor.
Instead of easy answers, Art Stations of the Cross aims to provoke the passions: artistically, spiritually, and ethically. Visitors are encouraged to take the journey using this website or the folder available at most of the locations. Each of the 14+1 stations features a work of art, whether existing or new site-specific work.
The project has travelled across the world raising awareness for those in need of refuge and compassion. The past exhibit was in NYC, weaving from The Cloisters museum to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine to the 9/11 Memorial. It began in London in 2016, with stops including the National Gallery, the Tower of London, and St. Paul’s Cathedral. In 2017, it was held in Washington, D.C., with stops at the National Cathedral, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, and adjacent to the Supreme Court.
Reconciliation exhibition: Coventry Cathedral‘Reconciliation’ is an exhibition by
commission4mission artists in the Chapel of Christ the Servant at
Coventry Cathedral (1 Hill Top, Coventry CV1 5AB) from 10 March – 12 April 2019. Cathedral opening hours: Mon to Sat – 10 am to 5 pm (Last entry for visitors is 4 pm), Sun – 12 noon to 4 pm (Last entry is 3 pm). Private view: Saturday 9th March 5-7pm
‘Reconciliation’ is a group show by commission4mission artists. The title and theme for the exhibition can be understood in terms of reconciliations that are emotional, political, personal, biblical, national, communal etc.
Revd Jonathan Evens, commission4mission’s secretary says: ‘Our artists have reflected broadly on the theme responding with imagery that ranges from various forms of embrace, through pardoning and connections to aspects of the Life of Christ including Annunciation, Crucifixion and Glorification. Contemporary issues addressed include conflicts in the Middle East and plastic pollution. There are also images of Coventry Cathedral itself, emphasising its reconciliation ministry. A mix of abstract and representational imagery has been created, utilising ceramics, collage, digital illustration, drawing, painting, photography and sculpture.’
The exhibition includes work by
Ally Ashworth,
Hayley Bowen,
Harvey Bradley,
Irina Bradley,
Valerie Dean,
Mary Donaghey,
Jonathan Evens,
Maurizio Galia,
Michael Garaway,
John Gentry,
Clorinda Goodman,
Laura Grenci,
Deborah Harrison,
David Hawkins,
Anthony Hodgson,
Eugenia Jacobs,
Mark Lewis,
David Millidge,
Lucy Morrish,
Irene Novelli,
Janet Roberts,
Henry Shelton, and
Peter Webb.
‘The Last Supper’, a sculpture by David Millidge is inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci’s iconic Christian masterpiece. However, it is not about Judas or betrayal. It is about the journey of religious tolerance. The disciples in this Last Supper are all identical figures but decorated with a thin veneer of symbols and images representing different faiths (ceramic transfers).
David says: ‘If we are to continue living in a world where wars, conflicts, prejudice and persecution remain on the decline, we must continue to break down the barriers that divide us with acceptance and respect for the different faiths that we live by. My sculpture portrays an optimistic vision of a future where all ideologies sit side by side in harmony.’
The faiths represented, approximately in order of affiliated members are: Christianity, Islam, Atheism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Judaism, Taoism, Bahaism, Confucianism, Jainism, and Shintoism.
Former Bishop of Barking, David Hawkins addresses contemporary issues with his mixed media pieces: ‘Carrier bags have become the latest culprits in the war on pollution, with two million being purchased every minute across the globe. Back lit by the sun, they become angels of death and destruction. Our Celtic forbears saw God’s activity in the mundane of everyday life – in our century, even in carrier bags.’ The Angels of Death pictured in these images feature in Old Testament stories which foreshadow the forgiveness and reconciliation to be found in the death of Christ.
Similarly, Michael Garaway’s ‘Friday Process – Mark’ also focuses on the significance of Christ’s crucifixion coming as it does from a series of four which present in graphical form the symbolic ‘hardware’ related to Christ’s suffering and death, as described in the Gospel accounts.
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