DAMIEN HIRST
Aubade
Crown of Glory, 2006
Butterflies and household gloss on canvas
115-7/8 x 96-1/8 inches

Contemporary art has so many entry points for thinking and talking about faith, despite what you'd gather from reading a lot of the Christianity and art books. One of contemporary art's most infamous artists is also one of the quickest to bring up issues of religion. His work is not coming from a Christian perspective, but as Christians we can see there are many redemptive (and many problematic) qualities to his work.

The mass media has made Hirst's formaldehyde animals the most familiar of his art, the shark suspended in formaldehyde titled "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living" being the primary example. 

His exhibit titled Superstition at the Gagosian Gallery in 2007 introduced a new look for Hirst that I've just recently become familiar with. Many Christians dismiss contemporary art because they can't make sense of an art world where beauty is no longer the guiding value. But what about these butterfly pieces? They are undeniably and remarkably beautiful. 

Of course, they are still also about Hirst's major theme – death. The butterflies seen here are real butterflies sealed to canvas under household gloss.

4:00 p.m. @ UofK Student Center’s Worsham Theatre

Alec Soth blew up in the photo art scene a few years ago when his first project "Sleeping by the Mississippi" came out. His large format color photographs explore social landscapes. What he does so well is convey the sense of place, while imposing his own themes in portraits and places. 

He's got an exhibit at UofK right now through October 26, 2008. I've never seen his original prints before so I'm looking forward to that. Plus, I know he’s a good speaker because I heard him about a year ago at UofL. He's one of the sharpest contemporary voices on photography.

I can't believe that Woven Hand does what they do. David Eugene Edwards, who fronts the band writes songs that say things like:

Go into the Lord's house
Go in a mile
The world will bow
The knees will be broken for those who don't know how
He delights not in the strength of horses
He takes no pleasure in the cleverness of men

He's been compared to an Old Testament prophet by Paste Magazine and Pitchfork Media. The most recent review in Paste Magazine started by recommending, "Don't come to David Eugene Edwards looking for a catchy melody to whistle. If there's something getting stuck in your head while listening to his austere, harrowing Americana, it's the cutting edge of a heavenly archangel's flaming sword."

Well said. 

His music is definitely intense and the intensity explodes at his live shows. The musical influences at work here might come from American Indian traditions or Gregorian chants, maybe southern rock. 

I think what I enjoy so much about Woven Hand is that they blow away all the ideas about how Christians are supposed to engage culture. I don't think he has a "mission strategy", though I know he thinks of his music as ministry. He can get away with such straight forward lyrics in the music scene because he's considered authentic.

When referring to Woven Hand's lyrics, one atheist writing for Pitchfork answered why someone who doesn't hold to the writer's beliefs would still listen:

"Well, because unlike empty teen angst or bitchy navel gazing, Edwards has a certified message and even with the spikes and thorns and judgments his work emerges from a compelling, otherworldly mindset…Instead of peppering his work with brief/sappy/peachy references, Edwards unleashes a torrent."

The question that comes to mind for me is whether or not there are any visual artists equivalent to Woven Hand in both pursuing such unique personal visions coupled with such blatant and unapologetic Christian faith. I can't think of any from the 20^th or 21^st century. If you can think of any, let me know.

Woven Hand plays at the 930 with Interstates Thursday, October 9 @ 8 p.m. / Doors open @ 7 p.m. / All ages / $10.

Michael Brohm is one of the best art photographers in Louisville. His portraits of the Russian people carry so much personality, even if they are all expression-less. Now, he's bringing together Louisville photographers to do an exhibit in Perm, Russia, which is a sister city of Louisville. The Russian title for the exhibit translates as "My World is a Family" and the images are supposed to relate to the idea of 'family.'

At the same time, photographers from Perm, Russia are being brought together to produce an exhibit with the same theme that will be exhibited in Louisville in late 2009.

Contact Michael Brohm at permphotoproject@insightbb.com to get the details on how to submit photos. Deadline to submit is November 15, 2008.

Just because this blog is related to a church and I'm writing as a Christian doesn't mean everything contained in here is going to be rated PG. I thought we should get that out of the way near the beginning. This blog is written with the assumption that whoever reads it will involve themselves critically and make their own judgments. This blog will be interested in art for the church (should be safe), art from the church (sometimes safe), and art facing the church (rarely safe) [Thanks to Harold Best for those helpful categories]. The art scene can be a decadent place and you might see something you didn't want to if you go chasing links. Another disclaimer should be that the opinions written in this blog are the views of the person writing and not necessarily the views of Sojourn Community Church.

I guess I've got something to say. My name is Michael Winters and I'm the director of visual arts for Sojourn Community Church. My plan is to write at least once every two weeks. The subject matter will be mostly related to the intersection of art and Christian faith, though I expect I might get distracted at points.

I'll respond to what I see.

There's so much hype about art inside protestant Christian circles right now and it's hard to wade through all the words (there aren't as many images). I'm hoping this blog will just point to the most interesting of what is out there, bringing a sort of specific, curated clarity to what a Christian embrace of the visual can be.

I expect that I'll be writing quite a bit in response to what's going on locally here in Kentucky, but I want this to be a place of interest for those who are in this niche nationally (or heck, worldwide too).

We were given a big, fat grant this year for exploring the role of visual art in worship at Sojourn. Almost everything that sojourn visual arts is doing from fall 2008 to summer 2009, including classes, projects, commissions, and this very website, is paid for by this grant. So, here's a big THANK YOU to the Calvin Institute for Christian Worship.

Here's the official text:

This program is made possible through a Worship Renewal Grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Grand Rapids, Michigan, with funds provided by Lilly Endowment Inc.