Awakening Artists

Marrying technologies such as X-rays and magnetic resonance imagery with painting, printmaking and sculpture, 15 artists explore the subjects of science and medicine in mind/body, a new exhibit at the Gallery at Bristol-Myers Squibb in Lawrence.

By: Susan Van Dongen
   Scientists and physicians truly see the inner beauty of a human being. Whether we look like Cindy Crawford or the Elephant Man on the outside, under the skin our musculature, skeletons, circulatory and central nervous systems are things of wonder. Under a microscope, even the cellular structure of a disease dances a kind of ballet.
   Unfortunately, the average person doesn’t get to see the infinitesimal beauty of a dividing cell or the hieroglyphics of a DNA strip. That’s where artists come in.

"Awakening" (above) by J. Catherine Bebout is part of the mind/body exhibit at the Gallery at Bristol-Myers Squibb.

   Marrying technologies such as X-rays and magnetic resonance imagery (MRI) with painting, printmaking and sculpture, 15 artists explore the subjects of science and medicine, creating a fresh approach to human portraiture in mind/body, a new exhibit at the Gallery at Bristol-Myers Squibb in Lawrence. Curated by Kate Somers, mind/body runs through June 23.
   The exhibiting artists in mind/body are Abbie Bagley-Young, Frances Heinrich and Debra Weier of Princeton, Eileen Foti of Somerset, Tim Trelease of Hightstown, Catherine Bebout of Upper Montclair, Janet Filomeno of Bloomfield and Maria Lupo of Roseland. Participants from other states include Justine Cooper, Marina Guitierrez, Irina Nalchova and Fredericka Foster Shapiro of New York City, Jeanne Jaffe of Philadelphia, Inigo Manglano-Ovalle of Chicago, Ill., and Rick Bartow of Southbeach, Ore. Their works include video, sculpture, drawing, prints, oils, acrylics and mixed media.
   "They all approach the subject differently," Ms. Somers says. "A number of these artists are using actual medical technology to create works of art, such as MRIs and DNA diagnostics. What I’ve tried to do is to find artists who have used these technologies, but I also wanted to include people with other interests."
   For example, Maria Lupo took a more holistic approach. She was quite sick and her work came out of her illness. She was concerned about the balance between the mind and the body — not just fixing the body but also the mind.
   Ms. Lupo writes that her lithograph "Great Caution Needed" is "autobiographical in nature… and describes a time in my life filled with physical pain and tumultuous change. (It) explores my personal healing journey by using images of acupuncture mapping charts combined with an actual acupuncture needle placed in the heart region."
   J. Catherine Bebout’s two panels titled "Prana/Awakening" combine photo etching and photography transfers, aquatint, lithography, chine colle and spit bite. Ms. Bebout incorporates her interest in Eastern philosophies and healing practices in her work. She writes, "In contrast to our Western understanding of human anatomy, which is to consider the body as a system of physical parts all interrelated, Eastern cultures tend to use charts of the body to explain their perceptions of the universe. My recent work borrows from both traditions."

In Debra Weier’s "Woman" (above), richly textured circular representations of breasts and other body parts are balanced in four corners of a cross against a purple background.

   " ‘Awakening’ is a metaphor for death and the afterlife in fossilized form and ‘Prana’ suggests the breath of life itself," she writes.
   Debra Weier uses oil relief on board to link the infinite miracles found in a living, breathing human body to the unfathomable boundaries of space. For example, in "Woman," richly textured circular representations of breasts and other body parts are balanced in four corners of a cross against a purple background. The circular and spiral-shaped objects are surrounded with luminous streaks and dots.
   "My work reaches both to the vastness of the outer universe and to the inner depths of our being," Ms. Weier says. "These are two sides of the same coin. My universe paintings are blue, with constellations of stars. My body paintings are often flesh tones with constellations of molecules, organs and energy fields. Sometimes I combine them."
   The Princeton-based artist, a self-described homeopath, has been painting various parts of the anatomy into her work for the past 20 years.
   "It was a natural transition (to paint) these pseudo-molecular structures," she says. The flecks of light around the body parts also connect to the concept of human energy fields. This is of great significance to homeopathic and holistic practitioners, who believe blockages and imbalance in these energy fields is the source of illness.
   Ms. Weier likens her firefly-like points of light around the body to the way planets and smaller stars cluster around a large, powerful star like the sun.
   "It’s the idea that the molecules in the body are of the same building blocks as the constellations in the sky — the Eastern idea that ‘everything is one,’" she says. There is also strong meaning to her painting’s central structure of the cross.
   "The cross is actually a plus sign," Ms. Weier says. "I’ve been using this symbol a lot because it’s so full of meaning. The plus is a polarity symbol, but it also has the connotation of an intersection or crossroads. There’s also the religious symbol of the cross, which is basically just a symbol of the human body.
   "I paint intuitively, though the visuals come before the language. When I’m done and I have to talk about my work, that’s when I formulate the words and descriptions. All these ideas come as I’m painting them."
Debra Weier is one of 15 artists included in mind/body, at the Gallery at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Route
206 and Province Line Road, Lawrence, through June 23. Free admission. Gallery hours: Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.,
Sat.-Sun.1-5 p.m. For information, call (609) 252-6275. On the Web: www.bms.com