The Garrett Museum of Art is pleased to present Samsara, an exhibition of works by Brooke Shaden, fine art and conceptual photographer. The origin of the word “samsara” derives from the Sanskrit word meaning “world” and the exhibition title refers to the cyclicality of all life, matter, and existence. It is, simply put, the cycle of death and rebirth.
Telling her story as a personal narrative and letting it flow with her images and concepts, Shaden weaves the tapestry of how various cultures view death and its surrounding rituals. Through a digital editing process, Shaden’s resulting compositions are intensely moving and powerful. Her narratives delve into how grief is internalized. Viewers are privy to the manifestation of anguish as seen through many cultures. Through nudity and the situating of human bodies, life simultaneously exists and yet is impermanent.
Organic and textural, the addition of sand, dirt, and hair, connects us to the earth and grounds us with a connection to the cycle of this death and rebirth. The exhibit consists of framed original mixed media photographs and features a 3D installation of a life size human form. Redacted eulogies are stitched into and function as short poems and this is enhanced with an auditory experience. Thus the cycle is also perpetuated in its own way.
Brooke Shaden’s work will not only engage and fascinate, but prove to be a thought provoking experience with unbounded perceptions.
Join us at the Garrett Museum of Art, located at 100 S. Randolph Street in Garrett, on Friday, August 12, 2022 from 6PM – 8PM to celebrate the opening of our next exhibition featuring the Samsara series by national conceptual photographer, Brooke Shaden.
The Opening Reception is open to the public and all ages are welcome. Admission is $8.00 per person. The show will run from August 12, 2022 through September 11, 2022.
FROM THE ARTIST:
“When someone close to me contemplated ending their life, I began to assess my own relationship with death. Through those explorations, both personal and in research of other cultures, I recognized my lifelong fascination with the beauty of mortality.
How can we create a culture around grief that is vulnerable and brave? Sculptural, grotesque, figurative, and conceptual, this body of work looks at death from all angles. Do you see any beauty in mortality? Is the imagery in this show disturbing, upsetting, beautiful, or a combination?
Samsara creates a rich, uncomfortable, and open space to dissect how we internalize grief, and how other cultures practice rituals surrounding death. As you look at the art, assess your own relationship to your ephemeral existence and eventual death. Many images came from inspirations around the world of how grief manifests based on culture, location, and spiritual beliefs, from a glass hearse in India, to sky burials in Tibet.
Along with the 29 framed original mixed media works (photograph, acrylic, sand, dirt, hair), Samsara features sculptural elements. A life-size sculpture of a woman lying in dirt and covered in moss rests in a corner. Redacted eulogies serves as short poems about grief. Finally, I commissioned four music artists to create an audio experience of Samsara to enhance the experience.
This exhibition is not intended to be merely looked at; it is created with the viewer as a participant. Death and grief, especially in western culture, are lonely and isolating experiences. Samsara aims to de-stigmatize grief to create a community experience around the topic.”
– Brooke Shaden
SPACES
Spaces, an exhibit of images and poetry, opens on Friday, August 12th from 6PM – 8PM, in the upstairs Lupke Gallery at the Garrett Museum of Art. The exhibit consists of photographs and original poetry by the co-authors, Jim Gabbard, Museum Director, and Angela Green, Gallery Coordinator/Curator. Signed books will be available for purchase for $20, along with matted photographs from the exhibit for $15 each. Any photo from the book can be ordered from Gabbard and Green!
Gabbard had these thoughts about the 2nd book in the series:
“For our second collaboration of images and writing, Angela and I wanted to change our writing to allow for more flexibility than the restraints of haiku. Our collection, Spaces, reflects what we both imagine spaces to represent. Using the visual, combined with words, we both explored the relationship of space and what it represents to the viewer. The concept of space and the experience of viewing that space were the foundations for this collection.”
Green commented:
“Working on a second book with Jim has been a whole new adventure. I felt I had more license to take photos outside of the realm of nature and to extend my reach into exploring images of buildings and more public scenes. Traveling adds a dimension to this project, also. The word “spaces” to me implies an actual physical space but also the vacuum of empty space in or around the image viewed. The energy of a photo I have taken and its subject, be it a building or another space indoors or out, is dependent on the feeling I had while being present. Writing poetry to accompany the photos I took was like channeling an inanimate object and being inside the confines of it. Putting words to an image is a journey into the photograph and into the flow while staying true to the image. The poetry brings the photo to life and gives it a story of its own.”
SPOTLIGHT GALLERY
Our Spotlight Gallery always holds new and refreshing exhibits at GMoA. This Spotlight will be featuring IN Artisan products and fine art. These artists, makers, and creators are carefully selected to be part of the exclusive IN Artisan brand. The artisans are Hoosiers who have vast knowledge and experience in their art or craft and produce the finest products and art in our state. All these products will be for sale and include photographs, serigraphs, jewelry, silk scarves, pottery, and even some “cartoon taxidermy” that will surely put a smile on your face! Chocolate, caramels, cookies, and even Bloody Mary mix will be there for sampling and purchase.
Come see the best of Hoosier craftsmanship right in Garrett!
Regular Museum Hours:
Friday 5PM – 8PM
Saturday 4PM – 7PM
Sunday 1PM – 4PM
Private tours are available Monday through Thursday by appointment only. Please call 260-704-5400 to schedule yours today.