Luzene Hill: The Pilgrimage Ribbon
Inaugural Season Exhibit Premiere and Artist's Reception
Sunday, October 23, 1 - 3 p.m.; the artist will be present.
Free admission; suggested donation at the door welcome.
Exhibit continues through December 16, 2005
A noted contemporary artist from Atlanta, Luzene Hill will exhibit a new installation exploring her response to Mayan concepts of time in newly created books forms, mixed media drawings and collages.
Hill has been extremely intrigued and inspired by pre- and post-conquest Mayan concepts of time, as expressed in the ancient Mesoamerican codices. These richly illustrated Aztec manuscripts created in screen fold book form have a reference to sacred calendars, celestial cycles, and other astronomical calculations. Each codex, with unique iconography, guided the daily rituals and cultural achievements of the people, interconnecting cosmologies, myth, and daily living.
Hill continues to draw influence from mystic philosopher Joseph Campbell. Campbell's reference to the interconnectedness of world cultures has inspired Hill to explore these unique concepts in reference to her Cherokee heritage and universal connections via experimentation with new materials, cross-cultural ideas and processes.
Hill comments on her work:
"My new work is informed by Aztec and Mayan accordion books, especially the Aztec book called Codex Boturini. Tira de la Peregrinacion is the Spanish name and translates into "The Pilgrimage Ribbon."
Codex Boturini consists of 22 panels and tells the story, in pictures and glyphs, of the Aztecs' quest for a home. It's a story of gods and goddesses and of years searching for a sacred place to build their city. The Aztec books were composed of amatl (paper made from the inner bark of the fig tree), bound in deerskin, and put together in the accordion/screenfold format. Although pre-Columbian libraries once housed thousands of these books, only 22 codices remain today. The others were burned by Spanish priests and soldiers, fearing the books held magical power.
My installation will include 484 codices (22 times 22).
Working through the process of tearing, staining, drying and folding each strip into a codex gradually became a meditation about journeys and quests from which my drawings derive. The 484 codices will represent thousands that once existed but are now destroyed. During this exhibition I will randomly enter the gallery and remove codices until only 22 remain, drawing attention to the empty space and the loss of native culture."
return to the inaugural season exhibitions page