THE-GREEN-HEART
February 24th, 2018 - March 17th, 2018
Opening Reception February 24th, 2018, 6pm - 9pm
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Building Bridges Art Exchange is honored to host the interactive installation the-green-heart by Petra Eiko
Image from the-green-heart 2017
Eiko designed the-green-heart project to inspire, share ideas and widen the human circle through interactive art. The intention of this community driven project is to unite people of all walks of life with one question: what is in your heart? - the world is listening.
the-green-heart comes from a place of connectivity, that we all share the same fundamental life goals and that the oppurtunity to share this with one another is a way of breaking the barriers that seperate us. By bringing markers and paper into our communities and high schools, offering people the chance to express anonymously what is in their hearts, Eiko has been able to confirm her thesis and create a profound work of art.
The voices of the participants are individual, unique and unidentified while also recognizable to all. The messages range from funny to heartbreaking. The vast majority are handwritten, some feature illustrations, are love letters, document struggles and challenges and recall memories. All are placed together on walls that contain one of Eiko's own painted green hearts. The visual effect is overwhelming, and every installation different. To date, the project has collected a total number of 7,732 drawings nationwide.
GUATEMALAN MASKS: A HOLY AND MAGICAL OBJECT
OF TRANSFORMATION
February 24th, 2018 - March 17th, 2018
Opening Reception February 24th, 2018, 6pm - 9pm
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The Kim Martindale & Giorgio Rossilli Collection
Left: the Spaniard from Totonicipan's Dance of the Conquest, late 19th/early 20th century, Right: the Devil from Totonicipan's Dance of the Devils, late 19th century
For centuries, the indigenous people of Guatemala have produced extraordinary masks that show us the varied and colorful expressions of their culture. The purpose of the mask seems to be transformation,when one wears the mask the person acquires a completely new and different personality, becoming somebody else, a magical and unique experience.
Masks are worn by dancers during ceremonies, they have played an essential part in Guatemalan ritual, their dances, drama, fertility rites, planting cycles and religious ceremonies. Most masks are made out of wood, with a thin layer of plaster, paint and a variety of materials that range from horse hair for beards to feathers and colorful ribbons. While Guatemala has the finest Spanish-American colonial sculpture made out of cedar, many of the masks today are made from softer woods, including pine and cypress.
