Between: thek

Showing posts with label thek. Show all posts

Monday, 30 June 2025

Artlyst: The Art Diary July 2025

My July Art Diary for Artlyst has been published today. The July Art Diary begins with exhibitions in and reflection on ecclesiastical buildings, through the Liverpool Biennial and the Waterloo Festival. Moments from the wide-ranging engagement between religion and art are featured in exhibitions at the Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft, the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Waddesdon Manor, and the Art Institute of Chicago, among others. Reflection on the place of myth in the human story can be found in exhibitions at the Parsonage Gallery and the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza. At the same time, ‘Worldbuilding and Wonder’ explores the experience of people with autism about the concept at Firstsite Gallery:

'The late Terry Fyffe was also an artist who dedicated himself to the pursuit of creative expression and spiritual exploration. A new website dedicated to his life, art and legacy has recently been launched. Designed as a resource for artists, curators, collectors, students, and art enthusiasts, this site offers a comprehensive insight into his prolific career and extraordinary body of work.

Fyffe built a remarkable career over four decades, predominantly based in London. He described his style as “figurative, expressionist painting, about the struggle for self-realisation.” Daniel Farson wrote that: “Ffyffe is a true painter in the classical tradition. A fluent draughtsman, he understands the challenge of paint and twists it to his advantage.” ...

I was fortunate to exhibit at St Stephen Walbrook an exhibition that brought together the last works that Fyffe was working on before this profound change combined with his new work depicting the beauty of the hidden world of nature and the inner world of the mind. It was his last major exhibition and one that was particularly satisfying for him.'

For more on Terry Ffyffe see here, here, here, here, and here. For more on Pablo Bronstein see here. For more on Paul Thek see here and here. For more on Paula Rego see here and here.

My other pieces for Artlyst are:

Interviews -

Monthly diary articles -

Articles/Reviews -

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David Ackles - I've Been Loved.

Monday, 28 October 2024

Visual Commentary on Scripture: Fishers of People

I'm delighted that my third exhibition for the Visual Commentary on Scripture has just been published and can be found at Fishers of People | VCS (thevcs.org).

This exhibition uses Damien Hirst's 'Isolated Elements Swimming in the Same Direction for the Purpose of Understanding (Left) and (Right)', John Bellany's 'Kinlochbervie', and Paul Thek's 'Fishman in Excelsis Table' to discuss Matthew 4:12-22 and Mark 1:14-20. These artworks give us what is essentially a collage of the kingdom whereby we are invited to imagine the kingdom of God as a body of water in which Christians are immersed and through which they are raised.

My first exhibition for the VCS was Back from the Brink on Daniel 4: 'Immediately the word was fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men, and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws.' (Daniel 4:33). In the exhibition I explore this chapter with William Blake's 'Nebuchadnezzar', 1795–c.1805, Arthur Boyd's 'Nebuchadnezzar's Dream of the Tree', 1969, and Peter Howson's 'The Third Step', 2001.

My second exhibition is A Question of Faith and explores Hebrews 11 through the paintings of New Zealand artist Colin McCahon. McCahon is widely recognised as New Zealand’s foremost painter. Over 45 years, his work encompassed many themes, subjects and styles, from landscape to figuration to abstraction and an innovative use of painted text. His adaption of aspects of modernist painting to a specific local situation and his intense engagement with spiritual matters, mark him out as a distinctive figure in twentieth-century art.

The VCS is a freely accessible online publication that provides theological commentary on the Bible in dialogue with works of art. It helps its users to (re)discover the Bible in new ways through the illuminating interaction of artworks, scriptural texts, and commissioned commentaries. The virtual exhibitions of the VCS aim to facilitate new possibilities of seeing and reading so that the biblical text and the selected works of art come alive in new and vivid ways.

Each section of the VCS is a virtual exhibition comprising a biblical passage, three art works, and their associated commentaries. The curators of each exhibition select artworks that they consider will open up the biblical texts for interpretation, and/or offer new perspectives on themes the texts address. The commentaries explain and interpret the relationships between the works of art and the scriptural text.

Find out more about the VCS, its exhibitions and other resources through a short series of HeartEdge workshops introducing the VCS as a whole and exploring particular exhibitions with their curators. These workshops can be viewed here, here, here and here.

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Newsboys - Fishers Of Men.

Saturday, 26 August 2017

Latest Artlyst article: The Sacramental And Liturgical Nature Of Conceptual Art

My latest article for Artlyst is on the sacramental and liturgical nature of conceptual art taking Rose Finn-Kelcey: Life, Belief and Beyond at Modern Art Oxford as its inspiration.

In the article I note that Michael Craig-Martin has argued that:

'conceptual art, even art itself, is at its heart about the belief of the artist in re-presenting an object or idea in the form of something other. The artist is, therefore, doing with her or his art what the priest does with the sacraments.'

I was reminded of Craig-Martin's An Oak Tree 'by the statement, in the exhibition notes for Rose Finn-Kelcey: Life, Belief and Beyond (Modern Art Oxford), that Finn-Kelcey’s ‘finished works often invite a leap of faith as ideas are transformed into images and materials.’ She herself stated that she worked in the belief that she could continue to reinvent herself and remain a perennial beginner. Faith was therefore not just among her recurrent themes but also informed her creative practices, as, Craig-Martin argues, is the case for all artists.'

My other Artlyst articles are:

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PVRIS - Heaven.

Tuesday, 22 August 2017

Start:Stop - Praise the Lord

Bible reading

‘… whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.’ Philippians 4. 8

Meditation

The artist Paul Thek once wrote 96 Sacraments in one of his notebooks. By doing so, he celebrated everything around him and everything that was present to him, especially the small and everyday things.

‘To wake up. Praise the Lord
To breathe. Praise the Lord.
To touch the earth. Praise the Lord
To wash. To comb your hair. Praise the Lord.
To prepare breakfast. Praise the Lord.
To eat breakfast. Praise the Lord
To do the dishes. Praise the Lord.
To clean up. Praise the Lord
To write a letter. Praise the Lord.
To mail a letter. Praise the Lord.
To go out. Praise the Lord
To see the sun. Praise the Lord’

The things he celebrated can seem banal but, as our reading, suggests it is a godly thing to do to develop an attitude or habit of looking for the good in what is around us, the people we meet and the things we do. As the Carmelite lay brother, Br Lawrence stated: 'we need only to recognize God intimately present with us, to address ourselves to Him every moment.'

Nor need we worry if the things we celebrate are small or mundane. Again, Brother Lawrence has a helpful reminder for us when he says: 'We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed.'

I wonder whether our view of our day and those we are with would change at all if we were able to simply say ‘Praise the Lord’ in respect of each thing we do, each person we meet and each place we go to.

Prayer

Walk to work. Praise the Lord.
Greet the receptionist. Praise the Lord.
Get in the lift. Praise the Lord.
Acknowledge others in the lift. Praise the Lord.
Exit the lift. Praise the Lord.
Greet colleagues. Praise the Lord.
Find our desk. Praise the Lord.
Sit at our desk. Praise the Lord.
Turn on the computer. Praise the Lord.
Open emails. Praise the Lord.
Read emails. Praise the Lord.
Compose and send emails. Praise the Lord.
Answer the phone. Praise the Lord.
Attend meetings. Praise the Lord.
Begin tasks. Praise the Lord.
Complete tasks. Praise the Lord.

As we praise you, Lord, this morning,
We recognise that the world you created
contains much that is true, honourable, just,
pure, pleasing and commendable.
Keep us looking for these things
in the ordinariness of life
and praising you when they are found.
And may that blessing of God almighty,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Rest upon you and remain with you always.
Amen.

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Morten Lauridsen - Prayer.

Saturday, 6 June 2015

Start:Stop - 96 Sacraments

Start your day by stopping to reflect for 10 minutes. Every Tuesday morning there is a rolling programme of work-based reflections at St Stephen Walbrook (39 Walbrook, London EC4N 8BN). Every 15 minutes between 7.30am and 9.15am, a 10 minute session of reflection begins. These sessions include bible passages, meditations, music, prayers, readings and silence. Drop in on your way into work to start your day by stopping to reflect for 10 minutes.

Bible reading

‘… whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.’ Philippians 4. 8

Meditation

The artist Paul Thek once wrote 96 Sacraments in one of his notebooks. By doing so, he celebrated everything around him and everything that was present to him, especially the small and everyday things.

The things he celebrated can seem banal but, as our reading, suggests it is a godly thing to do to develop an attitude or habit of looking for the good in what is around us, the people we meet and the things we do. St Paul suggests that we go through life looking for what is true, honourable, just, pure, pleasing and commendable. He suggests this because he is confident that if we seek these things we will find them.

I wonder, therefore, whether our view of our day and those we are with would change at all if we were able to simply to say, like Paul Thek, ‘Praise the Lord’ in respect of each thing we do, each person we meet and each place we go to.

Prayer

Walk to work. Praise the Lord.
Greet the receptionist. Praise the Lord.
Get in the lift. Praise the Lord.
Acknowledge others in the lift. Praise the Lord.
Exit the lift. Praise the Lord.
Greet colleagues. Praise the Lord.
Find your desk. Praise the Lord.
Sit at your desk. Praise the Lord.
Turn on the computer. Praise the Lord.
Open emails. Praise the Lord.
Read emails. Praise the Lord.
Compose and send emails. Praise the Lord.
Answer the phone. Praise the Lord.
Attend meetings. Praise the Lord.
Begin tasks. Praise the Lord.
Complete tasks. Praise the Lord.

As we praise you, Lord, this morning,
We recognise that the world you created
contains much that is true, honourable, just,
pure, pleasing and commendable.
Keep us looking for these things
in the ordinariness of life
and praising you when they are found.
And may that blessing of God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Rest upon you and remain with you always.
Amen.

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Gungor - Doxology.

Thursday, 19 March 2015

Airbrushed from Art History: Paul Thek

'Though overlooked by much of the American art establishment, Paul Thek’s ephemeral installations and collaborative strategies continue to inform and influence a generation of younger artists. (Whitney Museum of American Art)

'Unlike that of his contemporaries in the 1960s who were making work regarded as minimalism, Paul Thek’s work was messy, representational and auto-biographical and involved personal insight and spirituality. A sculptor, painter, and one of the first artists to create environments or installations, Thek came to recognition showing his sculptures in New York galleries in the 1960s. The first works exhibited, Technological Reliquaries, which he began making in 1964 are sometimes referred to as ‘meat pieces’ as they were meant to resemble flesh. At the end of the sixties, Thek left for Europe, where he created extraordinary environments, incorporating elements from art, literature, theatre, and religion, often employing fragile and ephemeral substances, including wax and latex.' (The Modern Insti tute)

'The idea of “Procession” lies deep in the heart of all of Thek’s work and life, which were conjoined in an always-evolving experience that was ephemeral or nomadic, unfixed, collaborative, full of ritual, and anti-concrete. An early work, Pyramid/A Work in Progress (1971–1972), is a room-size encampment of sorts in which multiple sculptures and found objects were connected by elaborate ad hoc walkways and passages. Begun as a monthlong process of environmental creation with the loose cadre of artists known as Artist’s Co-op, the work was called by Thek both a “time temple” and a “life theatre” and exemplified his approach to mythic, personal art as well as camp theatricality, sensual spirituality, and communal creativity.' (Walker Art Center)

'Thek once told Swiss art historian and curator Harald Szeemann, "Art is Liturgy, and if the public responds to their sacred character, then I hope I realized my aim, at least at that instance." To Thek, a Brooklyn-born boy raised Catholic, art had to have a religious aspect, usually one that revolved around martyrdom or decay.' (Out)

Dr. Stefan Kraus of Kolumba, the Museum of the Archdiocese of Cologne, says:

'... in the case of Thek, it is hard to ignore the fact that he engaged throughout his life with the central questions of Christianity. The discovery of a written description of one of his Fishmen as ‘Birth and Death Fishman in Excelsis – Great Flesh Explosion’ thus confirmed our view of this state of uncertainty between life and death ...

[Art is Liturgy] is quoted from a comment made by Thek in conversation with Harald Szeemann, when he named the late-medieval theologian Meister Eckhart and the Holy Scripture among his key sources. The exhibition explores this claim, as well as the possibility of its opposite – the extent to which liturgy itself might be art. Liturgy gives a communicable form to belief, allows it to be experienced via the senses, becoming transformed into a reality of its own. This claim to a distinct reality beyond the factual, the rational or even the illustrative is something shared by art and religion.'

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Communards - Never Can Say Goodbye.

Thursday, 5 February 2015

Unresolved yet beautiful mysteries: Paul Thek and Basil Alkazzi

I've recently come across the work of Paul Thek and Basil Alkazzi, two artists who at points in their careers have had a New York base and, while very different in their styles and practices, have engaged with themes of faith and belief:

'A sculptor, painter, and one of the first artists to create environments or installations, Paul Thek came to recognition showing his sculpture in New York galleries in the 1960s ... At the end of the sixties, Thek left for Europe, where he created extraordinary environments, incorporating elements from art, literature, theater, and religion, often employing fragile and ephemeral substances, including wax and latex ... With his frequent use of highly perishable materials, Thek accepted the ephemeral nature of his art works—and was aware, as writer Gary Indiana has noted, of “a sense of our own transience and that of everything around us.”'

Thek's spatial installations 'brought the viewer into a world full of declarations of faith and Thek’s private mythologies': 'The experience of an environment was shaped by a processional progression through different stops, as well as the opportunity to linger in various resting-places. Thek saw this as ‘human’ art, because ‘the first thing to do was to humanize the environment; then you can look at a work of art. And, of course, you do that by turning down the lights, giving people some chairs to sit on, and not having the art restricted in any way.’ (Flood 1981, p. 54-55).'

'In the winter of 1973/74, Paul Thek (1933–1988) was a guest of the Lehmbruck Museum in Duisburg, where he installed the room-filling environment "Ark, Pyramid – Christmas" ("The Manger")--a development of the legendary "Pyramid" installation realized at Documenta 5 in 1972. This exhibition, organized by the director of the museum at the time, Siegfried Salzmann, was the fourth in Thek’s large-scale projects in Europe, all of which engaged with individualized religious symbols (or what Harald Szeemann termed "Individual Mythologies"). The Christmas season provided Thek with the occasion to present, for the first time, a self-written theater piece in the form of a nativity play featuring children from Duisburg.'

'Thek’s “96 Sacraments” were written in one of his notebooks (#75, 1975). Thek wrote in a journal daily in the 1970s and 80s. Upon his death he had filled almost 100 journals, most of which were black and white composition books.

In the catalogue for Paul Thek: Diver, A Retrospective, Tina Kukielski writes: “Like most journals, they reveal deeply personal thoughts about friends, relationships, and sex, as well as Thek’s private shames and insecurities, and his efforts—like prayers—to be better in every way, especially as an artist.”'

'A prolific and compulsive painter, Basil Alkazzi has exhibited regularly in London, and in the United States. His long and distinguished career spans five decades. His work is in the collections of a great many museums in the USA and in Europe.

Basil Alkazzi's painting is characterized by Spiritual and Metaphysical components which at once make it of deep significance to the beholder. The unresolved yet beautiful mysteries, alive with suspended drama, throb in the air and permeate the paintings ..."His paintings represent the materialization of poems in visual terms unwritten yet redolent of many remembered. Time and growth are instrumental in motivating his imagery." ...

In his recent paintings Basil Alkazzi continues the quest to pursue an intensely felt vision. There is a deep meditation on the flora inducing a strange spiritual calm to the viewer, yet making one look deeper, reaching towards the core of celebration let loose in a sensory world of nature’s own sensual and mysterious Life-force. Here everything connects within the harmony of the Universe at once both mystical and with an overwhelming sense of awe ...

In 2010 he established The Basil H. Alkazzi Award For Excellence , two triennial awards, at the New York Foundation for the Arts. "We live in a fast moving culture that grows increasingly more abstract, away from the physical touch, away from the physical ground of being- away from the act of creation by hand. I want, in my own way, to encourage the glorious expression of pencil, brush and paint, and to nurture the kind of artist and the kind of art that I like and respect."'

'Alkazzi has established the award in order to recognize and encourage the work of all painters, because as he says: “Created works of art are in fact the tangible manifestations of man’s highest aspirations - to create a sort of ultimate beauty and to visually express all intangible and elusive elements.”'

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Lou Reed - Goodbye Mass (In A Chapel Bodily).