Masami Teraoka, Pussy Riot Kubie Series/Masha (Alekhina), 2022, oil on panel in gold leaf triptych. Courtesy of the artist and Catharine Clark Gallery
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Pussy Riot
From bus terminals to churches, Pussy Riot has been putting on guerilla performances since 2011. Nadya Tolohonnikova, co-founder of Pussy Riot, uses the group to protest against Vladamir Putin’s Russia and misogyny. In 2012, Tolohonnikova was arrested and sentenced to two years in prison for a twenty-second protest that the group put on in a cathedral. They were protesting the patriarch of the church, who had stated that any “true Christian” would vote for Putin again in the next election. Her jail sentence did not stop her, though. After her release, she worked with youth organizers to continue the civil disobedience. Pussy Riot has helped build infrastructure and networks for effective resistance that still stands today, albeit underground. In March of 2023, Tolohonnikova was put on Russia’s most wanted list for the work that she has done in the fight for liberation. Artist Masami Teraoka was inspired by the art Pussy Riot was producing. Their act at the cathedral was ultimately what drew Teraoka in, with much of his work focusing on the hypocrisies that exist within puritanical, mainstream religion. He created a series of paintings with the women of Pussy Riot, highlighting themes such as feminism, fetishization, control, and freedom of expression. Learn more about Pussy Riot with the NPR interview linked below, and see Teraoka’s Pussy Riot collection at the Schneider Museum of Art through March 23rd.
https://www.npr.org/2023/10/20/1206815220/battling-putin-with-punk-rock-pussy-riot-and-the-consequences-of-protest
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Al Farrow, The Two Thumbs of Santo Guerro, 2021-2022, guns, gun parts, bullets, cartridge shells, glass, bone, crucifix, antique textile. Courtesy of the artist and Catharine Clark Gallery
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War Gods
War has always been a part of human history, and is often reflected in religious spaces. A war deity can be found in almost every polytheistic pantheon. Monotheistic religions often relied on war to spread and gain new followers. War and religion seem to be intricately tied together as both a tool of healing and justification. In his work, Al Farrow has created his own deity of war who he calls “Santo Guerro”. Many of his sculptures include reliquaries featuring human bones as a satirical offering and reminder of the human cost of conflict. Learn more about the war deities from around the world with the link below, and see Al Farrow’s work In the Schneider Museum of Art’s Main and Heiter gallery today.
https://symbolsage.com/gods-of-war-list/#:~:text=Throughout%20history%2C%20war%20was%20considered%20a%20way%20of,demanded%20that%20the%20religion%20be%20spread%20through%20war
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Zeina Barakeh, Projections From the Third Half [Cloud Storm], 2020, digital animation (3:00 Minutes). Courtesy of the artist and Catharine Clark Gallery
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Horses in Art
From statues of generals on horseback to the wild west genre of media, horses are seen as a staple in U.S. culture as a representation of freedom, grace, strength, and wealth. For other cultures such as the indigenous people of Australia, horses represent conquest, colonization, and cultural genocide. Artist Zeina Barakeh plays with this image dichotomy in her work, specifically her piece Homeland Insecurity and its sequel, Projections From the Third Half: [Cloud Storm]. There are two horse characters in these digital animations, one with a horse body and human head and one with a human body and a horse head. These figures represent the colonizer and the colonized. With rich symbolism and motifs, Barakeh’s work highlights different images from the perspective of the oppressed and the oppressor. Learn more about horses as a symbol with the link below, and see Zeina Barakeh’s work in the Heiter and Treehaven gallery of the Schneider Museum of Art.
https://www.smh.com.au/culture/art-and-design/from-power-symbol-to-plaything-horses-through-art-history-20191104-p5374u.html
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(VIDEO) What the Robin Whispered: A Procession to Celebrate the Coming of Spring by Dennis McNett
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