RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

May 19, 2013

RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

The blood of innocents is splattered all over the 8,000-square-foot terrace atop the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, or at least that is the message Pakistani artist Imran Qureshi wants visitors to understand. His application of white and red brush strokes looks like the dried blood of a disaster, but it's really an intricate Islamic art pattern intended to remind us of the cost of the religious divide. Creating art that will inspire believers, and skeptics to bridge the world's religious divide is what makes "The Roof Garden Commission: Imran Qureshi" (above), the A&O NEWS OF WEEK.

In other religious art news from across the USA, and around the world:

Buddhism in Art: God's the difference between Shintoism and Buddhism [More News]
Christianity in Art: The Vatican sponsors first-ever exhibit at Venice Biennial. [More News]
Hinduism in Art: Yoga goes on exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution. [More News]
Islam in Art: Islamic artist Steven Naifeh at South Carolina art museum. [More News]
Spiritual in Art: Dance Kaleidoscope brings gay marriage to Indiana. [More News]

Are your friends A&O Believers yet? If not, please invite them today! We are believers, but also skeptics too united in the search for human understanding through Religious Art. Some join by making an annual commitment to become a member of the governing A&O Society; others join as donors supporting the A&O Scholarship & Exhibition Prize; and others as member-subscribers of this RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK. Please invite a friend to join the journey. It's for Believers, and Skeptics too.

Comments

Ken Johnson | NYTimes said…

Mr. Qureshi’s work depends heavily on context for its emotional impact. It’s an obvious metaphor. From death grows life; from horror comes transcendence; hope emerges from despair. But for me and, I imagine, others, that inspirational symbolism will be overlaid by the sobering, still-fresh memories of the blood-splattered street where bombs exploded at the finish line of last month’s marathon in Boston. Thoughts of war and other terrorist acts naturally come to mind, too. Mr. Qureshi’s title, “And How Many Rains Must Fall Before the Stains Are Washed Clean,” from a poem by the Urdu poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz (1911-1984), underlines the deeply plaintive mood animating his piece.

Sun May 19, 08:58:00 AM EDT

Emmanuel Dunand—AFP said…

Violence in Pakistan began shaping Qureshi’s art nearly three years ago, leading him to use blood-red acrylic paint. The Met installation, “The Roof Garden Commission: Imran Qureshi,” features splatters of red paint morphing into filigreed patterns common in Mughal miniatures. A response to the bombings and violence in Pakistan, Qureshi’s work, commissioned by the Met for its Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden, occupies some 8,000-square-feet and “presents the first large-scale installation in the United States by the artist,” says the museum. “These forms stem from the effects of violence,” Qureshi is quoted as saying on the Met’s website. “They are mingled with the color of blood, but, at the same time, this is where a dialogue with life, with new beginnings, and fresh hope starts.”

Sun May 19, 09:02:00 AM EDT

Asia Society said…

The installation features splashes of red paint that simultaneously evoke bloodshed but also luxuriant foliage and new growth. On the Met's website, the artist says of his "visceral blooms" of acrylic, "They are mingled with the color of blood, but, at the same time, this is where a dialogue with life, with new beginnings and fresh hope starts."

Sun May 19, 09:04:00 AM EDT