press release

Opening Reception January 10, 2009 6-9pm

Affirmation Arts is pleased to present the most recent exhibition from international curator Micaela Giovannotti opening January 10th 2009. PS: Parsing Spirituality examines the recent resurgence of spirituality in contemporary art. Featuring artists: Janine Antoni, Sebastiaan Bremer, Melissa A. Calderon, Gordon Cheung, Graham Caldwell, Andrea Galvani, Dan Kopp, Ivan Navarro, Lisa Ross, Courtney Smith, Xaviera Simmons, and J. G. Zimmerman.

"Every work of art is the child of its age and, in many cases, the mother of our emotions" (Concerning the Spiritual in Art, W. Kandinsky.)

After being neglected for quite some time, spirituality has risen to the surface in contemporary art. Spirituality based on religious belief has been part of art history since the dawn of time. Art has both advertised and glorified religions, but contemporary art has generally distanced itself from the spiritual realm, focusing its lens on formal and conceptual tenets. Not surprisingly, as often happens in times of secular uncertainties and political and economic turmoil, there is currently a resurgence of interest in spirituality, wherein artists are exploring and re-defining themselves in their work with very introspective and personal means and approaches. However, from a different perspective, these new spiritual elements can be interpreted in part as a contemplative reaction. Layered with complexity, these explorations include universal issues that, while external, are nonetheless of primal importance to the self.

Affirmation Arts is a newly renovated arts space located in the Hudson Yards district of New York City.

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PS: Parsing Spirituality
Kurator: Micaela Giovannotti

Künstler: Janine Antoni, Sebastiaan Bremer, Melissa A. Calderon, Gordon Cheung, Graham Caldwell, Andrea Galvani, Dan Kopp, Ivan Navarro, Lisa Ross, Courtney Smith, Xaviera Simmons, J. G. Zimmerman