September 25, 2022 – 10:30 a.m.
Since the very first ArtPrize in 2009, Monroe Community Church has been creating worship experiences rooted in the felt needs, human conditions, pathos, and joy found in the art that we host. If we believe that humans are created in the image of God, then each of us testifies to the Creator by creating. Each Sunday morning during ArtPrize, our pastor and worship leader will interview the artist, who may or may not be a person of faith, unpack the motivations and meaning behind their ArtPrize entry, and then look to scripture and song for what the Bible and our rich musical tradition may say about similar themes.
Sundays, 10:30 a.m. @ 1020 Monroe NW
Week 3:
Caught Between Two Worlds
Artist: Diana Noh “after nine”
Artist: Christine Vermeer “Here I Am”
About the Art:
after nine
I reconstruct distressed photographs of abandoned spaces to explore the trauma of growing up between cultures. I identify with buildings that are hidden but accessible; they stand in for my body and neglected feelings. Born American and raised in a Korean household, the emotional burden of being raised between two different cultures has left me angry, resentful, guilty and confused. I seek to understand my internal fracture through a process of destroying and rebuilding large-scale photographs. I physically break down my imagery to visualize my recovery process. These images become a stand-in for my body. I grapple with the tension of materials, construct a space primarily using canvas paper that lays its schema somewhere between two and three dimensions. I employ a variety of stitching methods to introduce chance into the work. I build new layers of skin above my scars. They become my own space to rest, the only space which allows me to intentionally sink into selfishness.
About the Artist:
Diana Noh
Diana Noh is a multidisciplinary artist currently living and working in Detroit, Michigan. She holds a B.F.A. from Kyungil University (South Korea) and earned an M.F.A. at Cranbrook Academy of Art (Bloomfield Hills, MI). She reconstruct distressed photographs of architectural and natural spaces to explore themes of trauma embedded in relationships and inbetweenness of culture. She takes pleasure in translucence, creating tension between lurking and revealing traits in her practice.
About the Art:
Here I Am
“Here I Am” is an exploration of the space between two identities. Leaving one place for another can create tension and a unique feeling of being in the middle, of not fully belonging to either side. Where one comes from and where they are now can be in conflict, and often there is no resolution for this feeling. It is isolating, lonely, nostalgic, and uncomfortable. Consideration of the duality and conflict within one’s personal identity is integral for this piece.
About the Artist:
Christine Vermeer
Christine Vermeer is a Canadian artist based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Her work centres on themes of memory and place, making way for landscapes, interiors, and abstractions. Painting mainly with oil, her style is intuitive and bold. Christine also works in installation and murals.
