Sanctuary of the Aftermath

Art and spirituality have been intertwined since their origins. Only in recent centuries have secular motivations displaced Art’s primary function of expressing and connecting with the transcendent. Sanctuary of the Aftermath affirms the sacred role of art, and redefines the gallery as a place to experience solace during troubled times. The exhibition presents artworks demonstrating a strong spiritual component in their creation while addressing some of the challenges of contemporary existence. Site-specific installation art, video art, and auditory art are highlighted within an immersive atmosphere, which invites safe engagement to explore the issues and make personal discoveries.

The current pandemic has resulted in estrangement from both the social and the natural world. After our prolonged period of physical separation and quarantine, the exhibition investigates how art can create new channels for connection. The exhibition provides a space that is simultaneously removed from and deeply connected to our shared reality. The works form a dialogue with perspectives on the cycles of life, entropy, destruction, death, memorial, and rebirth. Beauty is used as a tool, encouraging visitors to view the world anew. Sanctuary of the Aftermath offers an opportunity to reflect upon the artificial divisions as well as the innate relationships between humanity and nature.

Hailing from diverse backgrounds, the artists of the exhibition take inspiration from various timeless practices and historical approaches. However, rather than adhering to a particular institutionalized religious form, the artists utilize their own unique interpretations of traditional methodologies. They employ meditative, introspective, interactive, and sometimes visionary approaches in pursuit of the numinous. The journey of making works of art is an organic experience, which evolves over time. It is sometimes premeditated, sometimes serendipitous, but always driven by an intuitive impulse. The personal path uncovers the universal. For many of the artists herein, it is a therapeutic process, inviting the viewer to share in the result.

Departing from the usual materialistic goals of society, the exhibition embraces a communal need for more ritual-like experiences. Many of the pieces on view were designed for this specific opportunity, inspired by this particularly unusual era. During a time of intense socio-political injustice, environmental disaster, rapid technological changes, prolonged physical isolation, and anxiety – art can be a remedy.

– Jason Jenn and Vojislav Radovanović

Sanctuary of the Aftermath is made possible with generous support from WE RISE, an initiative of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. Learn more at werise.la

Gallery images courtesy of L.A. Art Documents

[Press Release]