The Sacred Sedentary
Exhibition dates: September 19 - 26, 2024
Opening reception: Thursday, September 19th, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Lydia the Sleepwalker, oil on canvas, 2024
Dad, Carolita, Starla, oil on canvas, 2023-2024
Dad, Carolita, Starla, oil on canvas, 2023-2024
Artist Statement
As a culture, the West discourages any moment that is spent engaging in restful activities. To pause exertion is viewed as apathy, despite the instrumental role that resting plays in the system of our bodies and minds. In an age where the common person is overworked, constantly moving from one task to the next, struggling to make ends meet, a single second spent not chasing the ever illusory title of “productive” is a moment wasted. “Down Time” is laziness. “Stopping for a break” is completely out of the question.
I grew up in a family that prioritized rest as an essential act of living that was to be respected. This greatly influenced the way I approach resting. I was taught that while rest most often means sleep, it does not always have to involve actual slumber. A lie-down, a video game session, or a few minutes spent with a pet can all be restorative. Even death, in my household, was framed as something or someone’s final rest, not a thing to be feared. Rest in all forms was to be respected and partaken in with care. Even the pursuit of rest, and the unsuccessful result of sleeplessness, was not something to scoff at. Whatever attempt that was made in order to feel rejuvenated, was a just attempt and not to be dismissed.
This body of work aims to celebrate the act of resting in all its forms. Sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes pleasurable. Through oil portraiture, it is my goal to counteract the demonization of leisure.