Strange Angels

 

Strange Angels Exhibit 

the Brink, 

111 Front St. 

Missoula MT

 On display thru the end of the Month

Artist Talk on Feb 24th 7:00pm

for more info go to their website: http://www.thebrinkgallery.com/

Last Friday was the opening reception for my exhibit at the Brink.  What a blast!  It was packed all night.  Thank everyone who came by.  Don't forget if you want to learn a bit more about the various Strange Angels come on by Thurs. Feb 24 at 7 pm for a little lecture.  In the meantime I thought I'd give you a little tour of the exhibit.  Each piece was based on a particular angel from either Judaic, Christian or Islamic writings.  So here we go:

Strange Angels

Divine envoys.  This is the traditional definition of an angel.  The western traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, are full of legends and tales of humankind’s relationship with these messengers.  Their numbers vast, and in some writings, considered countless, and each with task that aligns with certain attributes of that particular angel.  There are good angels and bad angels (usually called demons). There are angels of water, of death, of the moon, of the streams, of alchemy, of sea creatures, etc.  If it can be conceived, most likely there is a legend that connects an angel to it.

Traditionally perceived as soft, fluffy, ethereal things that float through clouds like butterflies huffing helium, I decided to reinterpret these strange beings.  Since they were allegedly created before the tangible universe, it seemed to me that these creatures might need to make certain adjustments in order to enter the physical realm. My goal was to transform these messengers into a combination of physical and supernatural manifestations. Like mystical mechanisms, they remain ethereal and otherworldly yet with a dose of the familiar and tactile.  

Sariel  

Mostly found in Judaic traditions, Sariel is often invoked for his protective powers.  Considered to be a benevolent angel of death.  Legend has it that it was Sariel who retrieved the soul of Moses.

 Israfel

In Islamic traditions, it is said that four angels were sent  to gather dust from the four corners of the world, but only Israfel succeeded; it was from this dust that Adam was created.  According to legend he waits century after century prepared to blow his trumpet to announce the Last Judgment. 

Golem of Prague

Not an angel or demon in the strict sense of the words, this protector was created by man.  

Rabbi Loew created the Golem out of clay and alchemy as means to protect the Jews from anti-Semitic attacks in the Jewish ghetto of Prague during the 16^th century.  

 Leviathan

A primordial beast of the deep and a massive sea serpent, which, according to legend, is destined to be destroyed at the end of time.

Michael

The archangel, who according to Christian legend was God’s lead warrior and commander in the battle of the armies of Light and the armies of darkness.

  Often depicted in struggle with Lucifer as he casts him out of Heaven. 

If you're wondering what is hanging next to the piece...

Guad Pods

little Guadalupes made from tree pods I found in Oaxaca

Cassiel

  

This angel watches the events of the Cosmos unfold but does little or nothing to interfere as the time and history unfolds.  Angel of solitude and tears, he is said to preside over the death of kings.

Raziel

 :  The Angel of Mysteries and the keeper of all secret knowledge.  According to myth Raziel is said to have come to the aid of Adam and Eve after their expulsion from Eden by giving them the book Sefer Raziel HaMalach  (Book of Raziel the Angel) as a way for them to find there way back and to better understand their creator.  Other angels disliked this and stole the book from Adam, casting it into the ocean.  Instead of punishing Raziel, God retrieves the book from the sea, with the help of Rahab, and returns it to Adam and Eve.

Rahab

 A defiant angel of the primordial sea.  Legend has it that Rehab defied God and was destroyed for refusing to separate the upper and lower waters ate the time of creation.  Rahab was once again destroyed for not cooperating, as the Hebrews fled Pharaoh during the parting of the Red Sea.

Lilith

 Lilith and demon daughters:  Jewish legend has her made of the same material and equal to Adam.  She was his partner before Eve but her refusal to submit to Adam’s will, resulted in her banishment.  

 She fled to the Red Sea where she mated with demons giving birth to a hundred demon children per day.  To spite God she vowed revenge against the descendants of Eve.  Pregnant mothers and young children were at particular risk to Lilith’s revenge.

Raphael

Angel of healing. He had the task of binding and casting the demon Azazel into a hole and covering him with jagged rocks until Judgment day. 

Beelzebub

: Some myths hold him as the demon associated with gluttony, others with pride.  Considered to be a prominent fallen angel during the war in Heaven.

Uriel

Angel of repentance who watches over the Gates of Eden with a fiery sword, and considered to be as unsympathetic as any demon might be.  He is the holder of the key to the Pit of Hell.

 Metatron

One of the most important angels in Jewish mythology in that this angel was one of the few that was allowed to look onto God’s countenance as well as to sit next to Him.  The reason for this is that he is attributed to being a divine scribe, a keeper of heavenly secrets, and a recorder of the sins and merits of humanity.

There you have it....hope to see you on the 24th.