When initially looking at the work, I was put off by there being so much text. I find it difficult to find that place to engage with. I forced myself to be still with it. The work felt like I had to do work, where I had to use my head. From my perspective, it felt religious and meditative, the images and historical pieces of text were essentially about leading you to a place of peace and stillness. Although it is not something that I would initially take from it. However, when looking at this sense of the world and people appearing to be on fragile ground this feels like a space that is something that is potentially wanted. Something minimal and traditional such as text to hold us. I came away thinking about how a book pulls you into a place.
You have to engage with that part of yourself. After my response to the pieces of work all around the New Art Exchange. I wanted to know where the writing came from, I looked and it turned out it was Sikh.
How did I feel about that? I thought it to be interesting that this religious or spiritual piece of work was being brought into a space where these days I am unaware of religious art being exhibited within a modern space and held in its belief.
I would say deconstructed religious art is more of a modern thing. The title was 'Journey of the Mind' My head led me to believe it was about potential mental health. So the title was misleading. And somehow sat with the world and the multiple conversations about mental health.
There wasn't an artist who was at the opening, but there was a collective of workers within the space. I wanted to find the artist as wanted to know what it was about, although it kind of felt clear the work felt community-based with multiple people working in front and behind the scene. Was this art or a community sharing the beliefs or both. Either way, it felt like something of religious art from a time past brought into a space of today.
