Friday, November 14, 2008

The whole world's a circus


I've been playing with some old pieces that I made at the Vermont Studio Center about ten years ago, during the War in Kosovo. The little wooden figures (12-14" high) were part of something I made called Ethnic Encampments, where groups made of the same materials were huddled together under the control of bad guys who looked kind of like Transformers (the toy). They are coming back in the context of the Circus. Each of the rings (thank you Axel Stohlberg for giving me the rings) has a drama unfolding in it, and the war context of the original pieces still seems to inform their activities.



Are these guys helping these women or not? Rescuing or raping? I don't know. In the center ring some kind of blessing seems to be happening. On the right the figures always make me think of middle eastern guys because of their headgear and beards. I don't know if I'll make a displayable piece out of these things, or just keep re-arranging them in the studio.



1 comment:

Unknown said...

Janet- I just now REALLY looked at your blog, and feel inspired to abandon all daily chores and just create art ! I am a novice blogger so am very impressed by the scope of Art Rolls On. I want to answer every question you posed and comment on how each piece of work moved me, but right now I will just say these few words. Janet, you are a extraordinary artist. Thank you for sharing your thoughts about your creative process, as well as your provocative, whimsical, beautiful, inspirational work.
PLEASE send blogs, emails, etc. etc. In the spirit of art, Irina