Broken angel inspired by dpr Ian's seraph
Traveling back home for the first time in over a decade while also going through a transition in life (finishing a degree) left me with a lot of questions. There was a need to elevate, to prove that I was maturing. Art has always allowed me to feel in control. Thus while living in a country that was home but still foreign, I turned to art. I spent most of the four months putting together a show that would be a showcase of what I could do. Something to wield as I stepped into the real world, that proved my time in university was not a waste. The show was impacted by my time around my relatives and culture. There was so much newness that I wanted to explore, understand, and subvert. In some ways, I wanted to play God but also be Adam when he is given life. Sierra Leone was my garden of Eden. I made this render during this test period in my artistic practice.
Broken Angel has elements and imagery that will show up in later projects I have planned. It made sense to start breaking down the biblical references and god complex in future works now rather than later. I often think about what a God or higher being would "look like." To me, they would have to exist as both binary genders and outside of them. Growing up Christian often I heard that people were made In God's image. To me, that meant God is both and simultaneously not both genders. In western culture, we have simplified genders down to a binary, woman and man, male and female. However looking at history, other cultures, and oppressed groups, there have always been more than just two genders.
I do not attempt to make referendums to the bible or catch Christians in some type of trap. Instead, I propose a different way to interpret the bible. The way I have come to understand the phrase “made in God’s image.” If we are to believe that God is omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient, would God not need to be all the things that humans are? There is in my humble opinion no better way to relate to and understand another person than through shared experience. Thus God would have to be the one thing/being to have experience and share all of our stories, pain, and highs. Furthermore, God would have to be all genders and none all at the same time to encompass the different ways our identities shape our experiences.
This image is of a falling angel, separated from its other half. While yes this is an intimate pose and there are other ways to show this, I chose this pose as for better or worse sex is the most intimate experience most people will experience. There is also the added element of vulnerability that comes with being naked. In this case, it is used in a Biblical sense. Think of Adam and Eve when they first experience shame from being naked. Furthermore, we have a complex relationship with the female body. There is enjoyment in being the viewer but shame for those on display. While the male body is not as sacred. Going back to the image, as the angel falls, it tries to merge with its other half while protecting its female half. I am attempting to use a vulnerable and confusing experience and how we understand gender (culturally) as a way to make people empathize with this falling angel. It is human to feel the need to play one role or the other, human to look at your body and hate it, human to look for your missing parts in others, and finally, human to feel broken when everything else is falling away from you.