Learn, Try, Evolve, Start Again
- Matat
- Oct 8, 2019
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 30, 2019
During 2018 I had entered an artwork to the Mandorla Art Award.
How little did I know, taking this challenge on, would lead me through a deep exploration journey. Although my artwork was not shortlisted, this has been a journey of faith, of culture and of art.
The Mandorla is a biennial Art Award in Perth, Western Australia and for each award a different theme is chosen for artists to respond to. Checkout the Mandorla Art Award site here And the Mandorla Instegram page
The 2018 Mandorla Art Award theme was a script taken from The New Testament,
Revelation 21: 1-2:
"And then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband".
This was the first time I have read this script, yet it felt close to my heart after living in Jerusalem for a decade.
I started reading about this script, getting further and further. The more I read, the more I started to have a vision for the artwork i want to create.
After a long process, i felt my concept was complete, and my artwork got a name: 'Hope'.
For me, New Jerusalem is pure gold, clear, and transparent - which made me choose glass as my main material. The lucid glass show the regeneration of heaven and earth just as Saint John's vision of Isaiah, Ezekiel and saint Peter's prophecies.
I choose to demonstrate the 12 letters of "New Jerusalem" on the glass, using bridal-fabrics cut into fig-leaves shapes. This was a demonstration of the "bride adorned", and Implying to the parable of the budding fig tree.
The '12' motif was a repeating theme in this artwork. First, since it is said, that New Jerusalem will gather the 12 apostles and 12 tribes of Israel. Second, there are 12 gates to the new temple mentioned by Ezekiel. Third, and as John writes, the New Jerusalem's surrounding wall is 144 cubits (12 is the square root of 144).
I introduced another layer to the artwork, on top of the "New Jerusalem" letters made from lace. Using gold acrylic paint, I articulated a Mandorla with the letters of Rev 21:1-2/ This Mandorla was added since it is said that 'New Jerusalem' is the consummation of the body of Christ.
A third conceptual layer, was adding a single symbol of each apostle and tribe to each letter of "New Jerusalem". 12 symbols to 12 letters. All in gold.
'Hope' wasn't shortlisted at the Mandorla Art Award 2018, but the process itself was very rewarding and eyeopening. I learned so much, and it was a great opportunity!
Oh, and this is Hope:
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